TRAVELS 


THROUGH 


NORTH    AME  RICA, 


DURING    THE 


YEARS  1825  AND  1836 


BY  HiS  HIGHNESS, 

BERNHARD,  DUKE  OF  S AXE-WEIMAR  EISENACH 


IN  TWO  VOLUMES. 

~~~~~ 

VOL.  1. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

CAREY,  LEA  &  CAREY— CHESNUT  STREET, 
SOLD  IN  NEW  YORK  BY  G.  &  C.  CARVILL. 

1828. 


EASTERN  DISTRICT  OF  PENNSYLVANIA,  to  wit: 

BI  IT  REMEMBERED,  that  on  the  seventh  day  of  October,  in  the  fifty-third 
year  of  the  independence  of  the  United  States  of  America,  A.  D.  1828,  Carey, 
I,ca  and  Carey  of  the  said  district,  have  deposited  in  this  office  the  title  of  a 
l><><ik,  the  right  whereof  they  claim  as  Proprietors,  in  the  words  following1,  to 

"  Travels  through  North  America,  during  the  years  1825  and  1826.  By  his 
highness,  Bcrnhard,  Duke  of  Saxe-Weimar  Eisenach.  In  two  volumes.'* 

In  <  (informity  to  the  act  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  entituled,  "  An 
act  for  the  encouragement  of  learning,  by  securing  the  copies  of  maps,  charts, 
and  books,  to  the  authors  and  proprietors  of  such  copies,  during  the  times 
thc-p-in  mentioned."  And  also  to  the  act,  entitled,  "An  act  supplementary  to 
an  act,  entitled,  '  An  act  for  the  encouragement  of  learning,  by  securing  the  co- 
pie*  of  maps,  charts,  and  books,  to  the  authors  and  proprietors  of  such  copies 
•  hiring  the  times  therein  mentioned,'  and  extending  the  benefits  thereof  to  the 
arts  nf  designing,  engraving,  and  etching  historical  and  other  prints." 

D.  CALDWELL,    \ 
Clerk  of  the  Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania. 


«.k»  RKF.TT \I\TH   UTRRKT, 

FHI  I.AIlKMMII  I. 


PREFACE 


THE  following  journal  was  by  no  means  originally 
designed  for  publication.  I  wrote  it  during  my  travels, 
partly  to  recall  past  incidents  at  a  future  period,  partly 
to  give,  with  more  ease  and  certainty,  information  to  my 
much-honoured  parents,  my  relatives,  and  friends,  on 
any  subject,  upon  which  inquiry  might  be  made.  After 
my  return,  the  book  was  read  by  several,  for  whose  pe 
rusal  it  had  not  been  altogether  intended.  Many  judi 
cious  persons  imagined  that  it  would  be  of  interest  to  a 
larger  number  of  readers,  and  variously  and  repeatedly 
requested  its  publication,  in  order  to  give  it  a  more  ex 
tensive  circulation.  As  I  could  not  easily  withstand  these 
solicitations,  and  besides  met  with  an  experienced  and 
worthy  person,  Counsellor  Luden,  to  whom,  as  editor, 
I  might  without  hesitation  entrust  the  whole  manuscript, 
I  yielded ;  whether  with  propriety  or  not,  I  cannot  tell. 

As  to  the  voyage  itself,  I  have  nothing  to  say,  either 
with  regard  to  its  cause  or  design.  The  idea  of  visit 
ing  America,  occupied  me,  almost  from  my  earliest  years. 
Why  this  idea  arose,  or  why  it  continued  in  my  mind, 
is  not  a  matter  of  much  moment.  The  chief  reason 
was,  I  wished  to  see  the  new  world ;  the  country ;  the 
people ;  their  conditions  and  institutions ;  their  customs 
and  manners.  The  more  I  became  acquainted  with  the 
old  world,  the  more  my  desire  to  see  the  new  increased. 

The  state  and  relations  of  the  European  countries,  how 
ever,  and  the  duties  by  which  I  deem  myself  bound,  as  a 
military  man,  to  the  country,  to  which  I  had  dedicated  my 
services,  precluded  the  hope  of  an  early  accomplishment 
of  ray  design.  Still  I  made  the  necessary  preparations 
as  far  as  my  situation  and  circumstances  allowed,  so  that 
the  voyage  might  not  be  made  at  a  future  time  without 
some  advantage.  At  last  Europe  appeared  to  have  at- 


IV  PREFACE. 

tained  a  degree  of  tranquillity  which  would  permit  an  ab 
sence  of  a  year  or  eighteen  months,  without  a  fear  on  my 
part  that  I  should  fail  in  any  of  my  engagements.  His 
majesty,  the  King  of  the  Netherlands,  whom  I  have  the 
honour  to  serve,  not  only  allowed  me  the  requisite  time, 
but  also  granted  me  a  passage  in  the  Pallas,  a  royal  sloop 
of  war,  commanded  by  Captain-Lieutenant  Ryk,  a  gal 
lant,  highly-esteemed,  and  experienced  seaman. 

Under  which  order  of  travellers  I  am  to  be  ranked,  ac 
cording  to  poor  Yorick's  classification,  is  submitted  to  the 
decision  of  the  kind  reader. 

BERNHARD, 
Duke  of  Saxe-  Weimar. 

Ghent,  May  20,  1827. 


TRAVELS,  &c. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Departure  from  Ghent. — Sojourn  at  Hellevoetsluis. — Arrival 

at  Spithead. 

ON  the  4th  of  April,  1825, 1  set  out  from  Ghent  for  Antwerp. 
This  ancient  and  noble  city  is  in  every  point  of  view  interesting; 
to  the  admirers  of  the  fine  arts,  on  account  of  the  unique  trea 
sures  she  possesses;  to  the  military  observer  for  her  long  defence 
against  the  army  of  the  Duke  of  Parma,  and  for  her  military  and 
maritime  importance  obtained  in  modern  times  through  him  who 
long  guided  the  destiny  of  Europe;  and  to  the  philanthropist,  who 
derives  satisfaction  from  the  increasing  prosperity  of  mankind, 
for  numerous  reasons.  Long  the  victim  of  politics  and  the 
jealousy  of  her  neighbours,  which  kept  the  mighty  Scheld, 
the  harbour  of  Antwerp,  blockaded,  she  now  powerfully  lifts  her 
head  above  her  rivals,  and  her  commerce,  nearly  as  flourishing 
as  under  the  Hanseatie  league,  is  annually  becoming  more  exten 
sive,  thanks  to  the  foresight  of  the  wise  prince  whom  Provi 
dence  has  placed  at  the  head  of  our  country's  government. 

A  government  yacht  received  us  at  Antwerp,  and  with  a  fair 
wind  and  most  delightful  spring  weather,  conveyed  us,  by  the 
evening  of  the  6th  of  April,  to  the  road  of  Hellevoetsluis,  where 
the  corvette  Pallas  was  lying  at  anchor,  which  had  orders  to  sail 
on  the  following  day.  The  first  part  of  the  voyage  to  Hellevoet 
sluis  isVlown  the  Scheld;  the  beautiful  steeple  of  the  cathedral  of 
Antwrfp  long  remains  in  sight;  the  forts  on  both  shores  attract 
the  attention  of  military  men,  and  perhaps  remind  them  of  the 
remains  of  the  great  bridge  between  forts  St.  Mary  and  St.  Phi 
lip,  by  which  Alexander  Farnese,  Duke  of  Parma,  crossed  the 
stream  and  forced  the  city  to  surrender. 

At  an  hour's  sail  below  Antwerp,  the  Scheld  forms  a  large  ba 
sin,  and  divides  into  two  arms  the  East  and  West  Scheld,  which 
are  separated  by  the  island  of  Zuid-Beveland.  The  West  Scheld 
is  the  deepest,  and  flows  into  the  North  Sea:  we  sailed  on  the 
eastern  branch  to  the  place  of  our  destination. 

A  century  ago  South  Beveland  was  well  cultivated,  and  con 
tained  a  town  and  numerous  villages:  it  was  swallowed  up  by 
the  water,  and  still  remains  overflowed.  It  may  be  reserved 
for  the  creative  spirit  peculiar  to  our  existing  government  and  its 

VOL.  I.  2 


10 

illustrious  chief,  to  give  employment  to  the  plough  of  the  indus 
trious  farmer  on  the  spot  where  at  present  the  poor  fisherman 
protracts  a  wretched  existence. 

We  afterwards  left  the  East  Scheld,  and  sailed  past  several  well 
cultivated  islands,  protected  against  the  violence  of  the  stormy 
waves  by  artificial  dams.  We  entered  upon  the  stream  formed 
by  the  confluence  of  the  Maas  and  Rhine,  and  advanced  imme 
diately  to  Hellevoetsluis,  whence  in  former  times  the  victorious 
fleets  of  Holland  frequently  sailed  to  the  remotest  parts  of  the 
world,  and  dictated  terms  to  her  enemies.  The  ships  which  con 
vey  the  treasures  of  the  tropical  regions  to  the  rich  city  of  Rot 
terdam,  or  carry  the  products  of  our  own  industry,  as  well  as 
the  defenders  of  our  extensive  possessions,  are  often  obliged,  by 
contrary  winds,  to  remain  here  for  various  periods.  Hence 
Hellevoetsluis  is  generally  very  lively. 

The  corvette  Pallas,  in  which  our  government  permitted  me 
to  sail  for  America,  was  a  new  vessel,  fitted  out  as  an  instruction 
ship.  A  selection  of  young  naval  officers  was  made  for  this  voy 
age,  as  midshipmen.  To  these  were  added  a  young  naval  architect 
named  TROMP,  a  worthy  descendant  of  historically  renowned 
ancestors,  whose  deep  knowledge,  distinguished  talents,  and  es 
timable  character,  I  became  acquainted  with  and  cherished  in  the 
course  of  the  voyage.  These  selected  officers  were  entrusted  to 
the  direction  of  Captain  Ryk,  one  of  our  most  approved  com 
manders,*  who  had  orders  to  visit  some  of  the  principal  English 
and  American  naval  depots,  in  order  to  acquire  whatever  know 
ledge' might  best  promote  the  interests  of  his  country.  On  this 
account  the  corvette  was  fitted  out  rather  as  a  packet  ship  than  a 
man  of  war.  She  had  no  long  guns  on  deck,  except  two  long 
sixes  in  the  bows  as  chase  guns;  her  battery  consisted  of  eighteen 
twenty-four  pound  carronades.  I  was  established  in  the  cap 
tain's  cabin,  and  a  swinging  cot  was  suspended  at  night  for  my 
sleeping  place. 

In  consequence  of  contrary  winds  and  other  causes  which  it  is 
needless  to  mention,  the  corvette  could  not  sail  as  quickly  as  or 
dered.  In  the  mean  time  I  stayed  at  Hellevoetsluis,  and  em 
ployed  my  forced  leisure  in  examining  this  small  town  and  its 
vicinity. 

*  For  the  benefit  of  my  readers  who  are  not  military,  I  subjoin  the  names  of 

:ir  navy,  and  their  correspondence  in  rankVith  army  offices:— 
Admiral  js  equai  to  General. 

1V  icc.adm.ral       -        .        .  «  Lieutenant-general. 


Rear-admiral 
Captain 

Captain-lieutenant 
Lieutenant  of  the  first  class 


Major-general. 

Colonel. 

Lieutenant-colonel. 


t  tne  nrst  class  "  Captain. 

Lieutenant  of  the  second  class        «      «    First  lieutenant. 


11 

Hellevoetsluis  contains  upwards  of  two  thousand  inhabitants, 
among  whom  there  is  scarcely  a  poor  one  to  be  found.  The  town 
properly  consists  of  but  one  street,  on  both  sides  of  the  harbour, 
having  walled  quays,  and  united  by  a  double  drawbridge,  built 
two  years  ago.  Where  the  town  terminates,  the  dock-yard  com 
mences,  which  contains  most  of  the  fortifications.  Near  the  dock 
yard  are  the  barracks,  which  can,  if  necessary,  contain  two 
thousand  men.  The  frigate  Rhine  lay  in  harbour  as  guard-ship. 
There  was  one  ship  repairing  in  the  dock,  none  building.  For 
the  purpose  of  repairing  there  is,  behind  the  basin  of  the  dock 
yard,  a  dry,  terrace-shaped,  walled  basin,  or  dry  dock,  large 
enough  for  a  ship.  When  the  ship  is  brought  into  this  dock,  the 
gates  are  closed,  and  the  water  pumped  out  by  a  steam  machine  of 
thirty  horse-power.  This  being  done,  the  ship  is  dry,  and  may 
be  examined  on  all  sides.  When  the  repairs  are  completed,  the 
gates  are  again  opened,  the  water  admitted,  and  the  ship  floated 
out.  A  boat-gate  is  better  adapted  to  this  purpose:  a  boat-gate 
consists  of  a  box  which  exactly  enters  the  canal  leading  to 
the  dry  dock:  when  brought  to  the  place  where  it  is  to  be  used, 
a  quantity  of  water  is  admitted  sufficient  to  sink  it  to  the  level  of 
the  shores,  and  then  it  forms  a  bridge.  When  it  is  necessary  to 
open  the  gate,  the  water  is  pumped  out,  and  the  box  is  with 
drawn  from  the  canal.  The  frigate  Kenau  Hasselaar  was  in  the 
basin  getting  ready  for  sea,  and  with  the  crew  of  the  guard-ship 
under  command  of  Cap  tain.  Dibbetz,  she  was  to  sail  for  the  East 
Indies.  The  frigates  Scheld,  Maas,  Yssel,  and  Java,  with  the 
brig  Havic,  and  about  twrenty  gun-boats,  were  laid  up  in  or 
dinary.  One  of  the  gun-boats  was  built  after  a  Danish  model, 
which  allows  the  upper  part  of  the  rudder  to  be  taken  down  and 
two  ports  to  be  opened,  by  which  the  stern  can  be  used  in  bat 
tery.  The  magazines  and  smithies  are  not  large,  but  are  kept  in 
very  neat  order. 

The  admiralty  have  a  very  large  building  here  which  is  used 
as  the  residence  of  the  marine  commander  in  chief.  From  a  bel- 
videre  of  this  house  there  is  a  fine  view  of  the  harbour  and  sur 
rounding  country.  In  the  former,  the  frigate  tftmstcl,  corvette 
Pallas,  brig  De  Gier,  and  transport-ship  Zeemeeuw  rode  at  an 
chor,  the  two  latter  bound  to  the  Mediterranean.  In  the  dock 
yard  we  remarked  a  very  large  mast-crane,  which  may  be  seen 
far  at  sea,  and  serves  mariners  as  a  landmark.  There  is  also  a 
light-house  upon  one  of  the  two  dams  which  secure  the  harbour, 
also  built  two  years  ago. 

[From  the  llth  to  the  25th  of  April,  contrary  winds  detained 
the  corvette  at  Hellevoetsluis,  during  which  time  an  excursion 
was  made  to  Goedereede,  Stellendam,  &c.  After  various  changes 
of  winds,  and  a  storm  while  lying  at  anchor,  nothing  of  interest 


12 

occurred  until  four  P.  M.  of  the  25th,  when  the  ship  weighed 
anchor  and  stood  out  to  sea.  ] 

Fair  wind  and  good  weather  continued  until  the  forenoon  of 
the  27th.  About  four  o'clock  we  saw  the  English  coast,  being 
the  North  Foreland,  not  far  from  Margate.  Here  we  were  oblig 
ed  to  steer  to  the  left  to  enter  the  Channel,  in  order  to  reach  Ports 
mouth  and  avoid  the  dangerous  Goodwin  Sands.  At  the  same 
time  the  barometer  had  fallen,  the  air  was  thick  and  rainy,  and 
a  disagreeable  south-west  wind  began  to  blow.  The  passage 
between  these  sand-banks  was  by  no  means  pleasant;  the  wind 
was  quite  boisterous  and  almost  stormy;  we  lost  all  hope  of  reach 
ing  the  Channel  during  this  day,  and  were  forced  to  be  content  with 
beating  about  in  our  perilous  situation.  The  motion  of  the  ship 
became  very  vehement  towards  evening,  and  I  became  sea-sick; 
it  was  not  so  bad  while  I  remained  motionless  in  my  cot.  Dur 
ing  the  night  the  ship  was  in  a  very  dangerous  situation,  and 
Captain  Ry  k  remained  all  the  time  on  deck.  The  lead  was  regularly 
thrown  during  the  night.  In  attempting  to  get  into  my  cot,  which 
was  very  much  inclined,  and  the  ship  giving  a  heavy  lurch  at 
the  same  time,  I  received  a  heavy  fall  on  my  head,  which,  how 
ever,  was  not  productive  of  much  injury.  On  the  morning  of  the 
2Sth  the  wind  was  somewhat  lighter,  and  we  discovered  that 
during  the  night  we  had  been  in  a  situation  of  extreme  danger, 
and  had  reason  to  be  thankful  to  the  great  Creator  for  our  safety. 
The  weather  gradually  cleared  up,  and  we  enjoyed  with  great 
satisfaction  the  noble  prospect  of  the  English  coast.  Immediately 
ahead  lay  Margate  with  the  southern  shore  of  the  Thames;  far 
ther  to  the  left,  Ramsgate,  and  still  farther,  Deal.  We  were 
moreover  surrounded  by  shipping,  and  in  the  Downs  we  saw  the 
English  ship  of  the  line,  Ramilies,  which  cruised  this  year  on  this 
station,  lying  at  anchor. 

The  wind  was  now  westerly,  and  our  commander  having  no 
wish  to  pass  another  night  as  dangerously  as  the  preceding,  re 
solved  to  cast  anchor  in  the  Downs.  This  determination  led  me  to 
think  of  landing  at  Deal,  going  to  London  for  a  day,  and  then 
returning  to  Portsmouth.  In  the  course  of  the  day,  however,  an 
east  wind  sprung  up,  which  changed  all  our  resolutions.  We 
passed  the  cape  of  South  Foreland,  and  entered  the  Channel 

Srosperously,  where  we  saw  the  high  chalk  rock  between 
^  eal  and  Dover,  with  several  castles,  and  Dover  itself,  with 
its  ancient  and  strong  castle,  near  the  ruins,  &c.  We  were 
also  delighted  with  a  beautiful  view  of  the  French  coast,  the 
white  rocks  of  which  were  illumined  by  the  sun.  The  wind,  as 
we  passed  by  Dover,  was  very  light,  the  current  was  against  us, 
d  during  the  night  it  rained  and  blew.  The  anchor  was  conse 
quently  dropped,  and  we  remained  off  Dover  till  one  o'clock  the 


13 

following  day.  In  the  mean  time  the  weather  improved,  though 
the  wind  continued  to  be  very  slight  and  unfavourable.  I  embraced 
this  opportunity  to  visit  Dover,  in  company  with  Captain  Ryk, 
his  nephew,  and  Mr.  Tromp.  We  breakfasted  at  Wright's  hotel, 
in  which,  eighteen  months  before  I  had  stayed  with  my  family, 
and-  at  that  time  took  a  walk  to  the  fortified  camp,  that  lies  west- 
wardly  from  the  town,  on  an  important  height.  To  this  place  we 
ascended  by  stairs  cut  about  twenty  years  ago.  A  subterranean 
passage  leads  from  the  town  to  the  foot  of  these  stairs.  For  a  supply 
of  water  a  well  was  dug  through  the  rock  to  the  depth  of  about 
two  hundred  feet,  and  to  this  well  three  stairs  were  cut  of  two  hun 
dred  and  sixty-eight  steps  each.  These  stairways  are  wide  enough 
to  allow  two  men  to  walk  conveniently  abreast.  They  terminate 
in  a  funnel-shaped  excavation,  whence  a  stone  staircase  leads  to 
wards  four  terrace-shaped  barracks,  built  one  above  the  other. 
Somewhat  higher  is  a  pentagonal  redoubt,  also  employed  as  a 
barrack,  in  which  at  this  time  a  detachment  of  artillery,  the  only 
garrison  of  Dover  was  quartered.  The  redoubt  forms  the  right 
wing  of  the  position.  From  this  point  an  irregular  line  of  ma 
sonry,  partly  hewed  out  of  the  rock,  runs  to  the  left  wing,  where 
there  is  an  oblong  quadrangular  fort.  In  front  of  this  fort  is  a  to 
lerably  deep  valley,  through  which  the  London  road  passes.  We 
were  delighted  with  the  view  of  this  beautiful  vale  and  the  fresh 
green  of  the  turf.  Messrs.  Tromp  and  Ryk  made  a  sketch  of 
the  rocks  .and  mountains,  which  would  make  a  strong  impression 
upon  one  who  had  not  behelcl  them,  even  upon  me  who  am  fami 
liar  with  their  appearance,  it  produced  a  very  agreeable  feeling. 
From  the  left  wing  a  line  runs  en  cremaillere,  beside  which,  at 
an  entering  angle,  a  casemated  magazine  is  placed  near  a  small 
fort  that  defends  the  harbour.  From  this  line  a  door  opens  to 
wards  the  high  rock  called  Shakspeare's  Cliff,  which  we  had  not 
leisure  to  visit.  The  masonry  of  the  fortification  is  of  brick,  with 
a  half  revetement.  The  rock  is  throughout  chalk,  containing 
flint.  These  flints  are  much  employed  in  paving  roads  and  streets, 
to  the  great  injury  of  the  hoofs  of  horses;  some  houses  in  Dover 
are  also  built  of  them.  We  turned  back  again  towards  the  cor 
vette,  highly  gratified  with  our  excursion.  We  saw  two  steam 
boats  arrive  at  Dover,  one  from  Calais  and  the  other  from  Bou 
logne.  A  water  spout  was  pointed  out  to  me  at  a  distance.  At 
one  o'clock  the  wind  began  to  blow  fair,  the  anchor  was  weigh 
ed,  and  we  stood  onwards  with  fine  weather,  delighted  with  the 
continuous  view  of  the  English  coast. 

On  the  30th  of  April  with  a  fresh  wind  we  made  the  eastern 
point  of  the  Isle  of  Wight,  where  we  hoisted  a  flag,  and  fired  a 
gun  for  a  pilot,  who  did  not  come  on  board  immediately.  We 
sailed  cautiously  onwards,  came  in  sight  of  Portsmouth,  and 


14 

neared  St.  Helen's  point,  Isle  of  Wight.  The  pilot  then  came 
on  board,  and  steered  us  into  Spithead  road,  off  Portsmouth.  This 
town,  in  which  I  was  so  much  pleased  two  years  before,  has  a 
very  handsome  appearance.  Several  ships  of  the  line  were  lying 
in  the  harbour,  among  which  was  the  Victory,  on  board  of  which 
Lord  Nelson  was  killed.  When  we  saw  the  admiral's  flag  floating 
from  her  mainmast  head,  we  saluted  her  with  seventeen  guns, 
which  she  returned  with  thirteen.  We  anchored  in  the  road 
where  we  found  two  English  corvettes,  an  East  India  company's 
ship,  and  a  Portuguese  frigate,  which  had  brought  the  Portuguese 
ambassador,  the  Marquis  Palmella,  to  England. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Stay  in  England. — Portsmouth. — Plymouth. — Dcvonport.— 

Falmouth. 

AS  the  corvette  was  to  remain,  for  the  instruction  of  the  mid 
shipmen,  until  all  the  naval  establishments  had  been  accurately 
examined,  I  resolved  to  go  on  shore  and  travel  from  Portsmouth 
to  Plymouth  and  Falmouth,  and  then  rejoin  the  corvette.  On 
the  1st  of  May  I  went  in  the  boat,  accompanied  by  Captain  Ryk 
and  Lieutenant  Lejeune,  to  Portsmouth.  The  sea  ran  very  high, 
and  the  eight  oarsmen  made  very  little  way  against  the  swell.  As 
we  entered  the  harbour  where  the  waves  were  exceedingly  high, 
we  turned  so  quickly  that  two  seas  struck  our  boat  in  the  side, 
and  made  us  more  than  once  fear  that  she  would  be  foundered. 
Nevertheless  we  arrived  safely,  though  thoroughly  wet. 

1  remained  in  Portsmouth  three  days,  and  as  its  situation  and 
relations  were  already  known  to  me,  I  spent  the  time  in  reading, 
writing,  paying  and  receiving  visits,  and  in  strolling  about  in  in 
teresting  society.  For  a  similar  reason  I  allowed  myself  to  make 
desultory  observations. 

According  to  the  navy  list,  there  are  at  Portsmouth  sixteen 
ships  in  actual  service,  mounting  five  hundred  and  eighteen  guns; 
sixty-five  dismantled,  with  four  thousand  one  hundred  and  forty- 
three  guns,  and  eighteen  building,  which  are  to  carry  seven  hun 
dred  and  fifty-six  guns;  making  a  total  of  five  thousand  four  hun 
dred  and  seventeen  guns. 

Some  of  the  lowest  class  of  people  were  masquerading  in  ho 
nour  of  the  1st  of  May.  Most  of  them  were  dressed  as  Jack-pud 
dings;  others  were  ornamented  with  bladders:  they  marched 


15 

through  the  streets  to  the  sound  of  music,  stopped  and  danced 
before  some  of  the  houses,  and  collected  money.  They  also  had 
a  boxing  match  between  two  boys,  which  was  conducted  as  a  re 
gular  combat.  As  soon  as  one  boy  was  down,  his  antagonist  ceased 
to  strike,  and  his  second .  helped  him  up.  One,  however,  did 
strike  a  blow  while  the  other  was  down,  whereupon  several  of 
the  bystanders  rushed  upon  the  offender,  held  him  fast,  and  gave 
him  so  many  punches  in  the  ribs  that  he  was  completely  dis 
comfited;  and  this  terminated  the  fray.  In  the  harbour  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  men  were  shipped  as  recruits  for  the  S9th  re 
giment,  stationed  in  the  East  Indies.  They  came  from  the  de 
pot  at  the  Isle  of  Wight,  and  appeared  to  be  very  weak  and  mi 
serable. 

The  Marquis  Palmella,  who  resided  in  the  same  hotel  with 
me,  set  out  on  the  3d  of  May  with  his  family,  a  wife,  eight  chil 
dren,  and  a  numerous  suite,  for  London.  I  paid  him  a  visit,  and 
was  introduced  to  his  lady,  a  very  beautiful  woman.  The  mar 
quis,  who  is  very  generally  esteemed,  suffered  considerably  dur 
ing  the  last  Portuguese  counter-revolution,  and  was  kept  prisoner 
for  several  days.  During  his  stay  at  this  place  he  has  constantly 
had  two  honorary  sentries,  and  an  hour  before  his  departure,  a 
company  of  fifty  marines,  with  three  officers,  and  the  band  in  full 
uniform,  marched  in  front  of  the  hotel,  and  remained  as  a  guard 
of  honour  until  he  left  Portsmouth.  It  was  with  real  pleasure 
that  I  remarked  the  excellent  condition  of  this  corps. 

The  royal  marines,  whose  barracks  I  visited,  and  saw  the  men 
defile,  have  an  exceedingly  fine  appearance,  and  are  highly  es 
teemed.  The  officers  are  promoted  according  to  seniority;  but 
since  the  peace,  the  corps  has  been  much  reduced,  and  the  officers 
are  old  in  their  grades.  The  officers  also  are  mostly  persons  with 
out  influence,  and  enter  the  royal  marines  because  unable  to  pur 
chase  rank  in  the  army.  The  barracks  for  the  soldiers  did  not 
altogether  please  me:  they  are  better  regulated  and  kept  more 
cleanly  in  the  Netherlands.  It  is  a  good  regulation  that  the  bed 
steads  are  iron,  and  that  every  man  lies  alone;  but  it  is  very  bad 
on  the  other  hand,  that  they  cook  in  the  same  room. 

I  visited,  in  company  with  Captain  Ryk,  the  Ganges,  a  ship 
of  the  line  of  eighty -four  guns,  built  a  few  years  since  by  Indian 
workmen,  entirely  of  Teak-wood.  This  hard  and  heavy  timber 
is  not  only  very  lasting,  but  has  also  the  great  excellence  of  not 
cracking  in  a  warm  climate.  We  were  received  on  board  the 
ship  with  great  attention,  in  the  absence  of  Captain  Campbell,  by 
Lieutenant  Wright,  who  did  the  honours  in  a  very  friendly  man 
ner.  I  cannot  sufficiently  admire  the  neatness  observed  in  this 
ship.  They  have  an  excellent  mode  of  taking  care  of  the  rings, 
bolts,  weapons,  and  other  iron,  brass,  and  copper  utensils,  on 


16 

board  of  English  ships  of  war.  The  forepart  of  the  gun-deck  is 
an  extraordinary  apartment,  the  iron  implements  are  varnished, 
and  the  others  polished  and  arranged  along  the  whitewashed  sides, 
so  as  to  form  figures  and  inscriptions.  When  strangers  visit  the 
ship  a  sort  of  chandelier  is  lighted,  which  produces  a  very  beau 
tiful  effect.  When  we  left  the  ship,  Lieutenant  Wright  had  the 
politeness  to  take  us  in  his  barge  to  the  inner  harbour,  where  the 
ships  are  laid  up  in  ordinary.  As  we  left  the  Ganges,  she  saluted 
us  with  nineteen  guns. 

Ships  in  commission  are  painted  black  and  white;  when  they 
go  into  ordinary  this  paint  is  scraped  off,  and  they  are  then  painted 
brownish  yellow;  if  not  again  to  be  employed  in  active  service 
they  are  painted  entirely  black.  We  went  on  board  of  the  Nel 
son,  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  guns,  in  the  harbour.  She  is  a 
new  ship,  but  lay  in  ordinary,  having  been  already  affected  with 
the  destructive  dry-rot.  The  injured  planks  had  been  removed, 
and  at  present  she  is  entirely  sound.  The  Nelson,  Ganges,  and 
all  the  recently  built  ships  of  the  line  have  round  sterns.  All  of 
them  have  the  wood  work  necessary  for  their  equipment,  as  for 
gun-carriages,  &c.  on  board.  In  order  to  preserve  this  and  the  deck 
from  the  influence  of  the  weather,  a  large  roof  is  built  over  them. 
From  the  Nelson  we  went  on  board  the  royal  yacht,  the  Royal 
George,  which  I  had  already  seen,  but  which  I  willingly  exa 
mined  once  more,  on  account  of  her  elegant  construction  and 
great  luxury.  The  magnificence  of  the  royal  apartments,  and 
those  for  the  suite,  are  very  strongly  contrasted  with  the  birth- 
deck  for  the  crew,  which  is  both  dark  and  confined.  We  re 
marked  here  a  patent  iron  camboose,  which  cooked  all  the  food 
by  means  of  steam. 

Having  purchased  the  necessary  provisions,  especially  Gam 
ble's  preserved  meats,  which  keep  fresh  for  a  year,  I  went  on  the 
4th  of  May,  at  4  P.  M.  on  board  the  steam  ship,  Sir  Francis 
Drake,  to  go  to  Plymouth,  distant  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles. 
The  engine  is  of  seventy  horse-power.  The  ship  was  not  very 
comfortably  arranged;  the  main  cabin  was  so  near  the  boiler  that 
the  heat  was  intolerable.  Our  passengers  amounted  to  thirty  per 
sons,  only  eight  of  whom  were  cabin  passengers.  About  five 
o'clock  a  gun  was  fired  as  a  signal  for  sailing,  and  we  stood  out 
to  sea.  Spithead  road  with  the  shipping  lay  to  the  left,  and  our 
course  was  between  the  land  and  the  Isle  of  Wight.  Cowes  with 
its  beautiful  gardens  presented  an  agreeable  sight,  about  a  mile  to 
the  westward  of  which  stands  a  castle  called  Egypt.  It  began  to 
grow  dark.  We  saw  on  the  right  hand  the  extremely  bright  lights 
of  Hurst-castle,  and  on  the  left  the  light-house  of  the  Needles, 
on  the  western  extremity  of  the  Isle  of  Wight,  which  I  visited 
two  years  ago.  The  white  rocks  of  the  Needles  were  visible  in 


17 

the  dark,  and  from  the  effects  of  frequent  storms  have  an  entirely 
peculiar  appearance.  As  we  passed  this  dangerous  place,  the  wind 
increased,  and  the  motion  of  the  little  ship,  with  the  continual 
jarring  of  the  steam-engine,  became  exceedingly  disagreeable. 
As  the  birth  allotted  to  me  was  too  short,  I  was  obliged  to  place 
my  mattrass  upon  the  floor.  The  heat  and  strokes  of  the  adja 
cent  steam-engine,  the  coughing  of  a  catarrhous  Irishman,  and 
the  squalling  of  a  child  in  the  next  cabin,  long  prevented  me  from 
sleeping.  It  was  not  until  near  morning  that  I  began  to  slumber, 
but  was  soon  waked  again  by  the  insupportable  heat.  I  sought 
refuge  upon  deck,  where  nearly  all  the  company,  without  ex 
cepting  the  captain,  were  unwell. 

The  rocky  English  coast  was  in  view  in  almost  every  direc 
tion;  the  town  of  Dartmouth  appears  to  be  very  finely  situated. 
After  a  rather  long  and  unpleasant  passage,  we  arrived  in  Ply 
mouth  Bay  at  1  o'clock,  P.  M.  We  passed  a  little  to  the  left  of 
the  breakwater,  a  dam  intended  to  protect  Plymouth  road  from 
the  south-west  storms,  begun  thirteen  years  ago,  but  not  yet  com 
pleted:  we  were  gratified  with  the  view  of  Mount  Edgecumbe 
Park  and  Drake's  Island,  on  which  is  a  small  fort  that  forms  a 
very  beautiful  view  from  the  three  towns,  Plymouth,  with  the 
citadel;  Stonehouse  and  Plymouth  Dock,  now  called  Devonport. 
This  dock,  with  all  the  ships  building  and  repairing  there,  fur 
nishes  a  beautiful  and  imposing  prospect. 

After  my  arrival  I  paid  a  visit  to  the  authorities  of  this  place. 
The  admiral  in  chief,  Sir  James  Saumarez,  a  worthy  man,  seventy 
years  of  age,  excited  in  me  an  extraordinary  degree  of  interest. 
He  has  served  England  for  fifty-six  years,  and  during  the  last 
war  commanded  for  five  years  in  the  Eastern  Ocean.  His  actions 
are  known  to  all  the  world,  and  caused  him  to  be  distinguished 
with  the  grand  cross  of  the  order  of  the  Bath,  which  he  has  worn 
for  twenty-four  years. 

Among  the  remarkable  things  of  this  place,  is  the  court 
house,  which  is  a  new,  oblong  building,  having  on  one  of  its  small 
sides  a  broad  staircase  leading  to  a  portico,  with  four  Ionic  columns. 
The  hall  is  large  and  very  conveniently  arranged  with  galleries 
for  spectators.  Beneath  the  dock  for  the  prisoners  is  a  trap-door, 
by  which  persons  are  brought  from  the  prison  on  the  ground 
floor,  for  trial,  and  carried  back  again,  without  being  brought 
into  contact  with  the  public.  The  six  cells  for  prisoners  in  the 
lower  part  of  the  house  are  all  arched  with  stone,  and  furnish 
ed  with  iron  bedsteads.  The  doors  are  of  stout  oak  plank,  stud 
ded  with  iron;  a  small  opening  allows  air  and  light  to  enter, 
though  very  sparingly.  The  prisoners  can  walk  daily  for  exercise 
in  a  corridor,  twelve  paces  in  length,  by  three  in  breadth:  they 
have  a  miserable  existence.  We  left  this  granite  and  marble 

VOL.  I.  3 


18 

abode,  of  sorrow  with  very  unpleasant  impressions.  Scarcely  had 
we  left  it,  when  our  eyes  fell  upon  a  monument,  building  upon 
a  rock,  which  is  to  be  a  column  one  hundred  and  one  feet  high, 
commemorating  the  change  of  the  name  of  the  town,  from  Ply 
mouth  Dock  to  Devonport.  This  work  did  not  dispel  the 
disagreeable  feeling  caused  by  the  prison.  Not  far  distant  from 
this  monument  stands  a  Gothic  church,  and  near  this  a  school- 
house,  in  the  Egyptian  style.  The  crowding  together  within 
so  narrow  a  space  of  such  various  styles  of  architecture,  exhibits 
a  singular,  I  cannot  say  an  agreeable  sight.  We  also  examined 
the  market,  which  is  furnished  with  numerous  covered  galleries, 
in  which  provisions,  fish  for  instance,  are  displayed  upon  marble 
tables.  But  marble  is  so  common  here,  that  the  foot-walks  are 
paved  with  it:  houses  are  also  built  therewith.  The  houses  in  De 
vonport  are  not  handsome:  some  of  the  old  ones  are  entirely  co 
vered  with  slate,  which  produces  a  disagreeable  impression.  In 
the  court-house  there  is  a  fire-place  made  of  slate. 

On  the  7th  of  May  we  examined  the  dock-yard;  there  are  eight 
ships  here  in  actual  service,  mounting  three  hundred  and  sixty- 
six  guns ;  sixty-five  in  ordinary,  with  three  thousand  five  hun 
dred  and  twenty  guns,  and  twenty-two  building,  which  will 
mount  upwards  of  seven  hundred  and  twenty;  making  in  all,  four 
thousand  six  hundred  and  six  guns. 

The  dock-yard,  with  its  admirable  regulation,  is  perfectly  de 
scribed  by  Dupin  in  his  excellent  travels  in  Great  Britain.  The 
work  is  known  to  most  readers,  and  for  an  accurate  description 
of  the  dock  I  refer  them  thereto.  The  entrance  is  really  beauti 
ful;  you  behold  the  greater  part  of  the  dock-yard,  which  is  ter 
race-shaped,  beneath  you;  on  the  right  hand  is  the  church  and 
some  offices,  opposite  to  which  are  two  cannon  employed  more 
for  show  than  defence.  The  houses  are  built  of  the  gray  marble- 
like  lime-stone,  which  is  so  common  here.  A  new  magazine  is 
rendered  entirely  fire-proof  by  this  stone  and  iron;  the  different 
store-rooms  being  separated  by  iron  doors,  so  that  in  case  of  fire 
it  can  be  insulated.  The  rope-walk  is  a  building  two  stories  high, 
with  walks  two  hundred  yards  long.  All  the  ships,  as  in  other 
English  docks,  are  built  under  roofs,  which  are  sometimes  cover 
ed  with  slate,  though  mostly  with  copper.  To  my  surprise,  the 
water  is  pumped  out  of  the  dry  docks  by  a  horse-mill  instead  of  a 
steam-engine.  In  one  of  the  dry  docks  we  saw  the  unfortunate 
ship  Fortitude*  repairing.  All  her  timbers  were  decayed ;  her 
copper  destroyed,  and  she  required  three  new  masts;  her  repairs 

*  A  Netherland  merchant  ship,  employed  to  cany  troops  to  the  East  Indies, 
whose  wretched  condition i  was  not  discovered  until  she  was  in  the  main  ocean, 
and  was  obhged  to  make  for  Plymouth  for  repairs 


19 

cost  the  house  of  Roelands  of  Antwerp  eight  thousand  pounds. 
There  is  at  this  dock  a  huge  iron  kettle,  in  which  ship  timber  is 
boiled  in  sea  water  in  order  to  protect  it  from  the  dry  rot.  About 
two  thousand  two  hundred  men  are  daily  employed  in  this  yard, 
and  some  earn  thirty-six  shillings  a  week. 

After  a  stay  of  about  two  hours  at  the  dock-yard,  I  went  in 
company  with  the  admiral  to  Hamoaze,  where  the  fleets  in  ser 
vice  and  dismantled  lay  at  anchor.  We  went  on  board  the  flag 
ship  Britannia,  and  were  received  in  a  very  friendly  manner  by 
Captain  Pipon,  who  showed  us  the  ship  throughout:  everything 
was  as  admirable  as  in  the  ships  at  Portsmouth.  From  the  Bri 
tannia,  which  saluted  us  with  twenty-one  guns,  we  went  on 
board  the  St.  Vincent,  which  in  every  respect  resembled  the 
Nelson  at  Portsmouth. 

On  the  6th  of  May,  which  was  Sunday,  and  the  town  conse 
quently  very  quiet,  I  went  first  to  visit  the  marine  barracks,  and 
thence  to  Plymouth,  which  I  had  not  yet  seen.  It  is  about  a  mile 
distant  from  Stonehouse.  The  entrance  is  agreeable,  exhibiting 
several  new  houses,  and  a  large  quadrangular  building,  ornament 
ed  with  columns,  which  contains  the  theatre  and  Royal  Hotel. 
But  as  soon  as  one  advances  a  little  farther  into  the  towrn  the 
scene  changes,  the  streets  are  all  narrow  and  precipitous,  badly 
paved,  and  without  side-walks;  the  houses  are  badly  built,  and 
angular,  and  the  sun  cannot  shine  into  the  streets.  The  har 
bour  that  is  forming  at  Catwater  appears  to  be  visited,  and  the 
bay  presents  a  noble  prospect.  We  passed  by  a  road  cut  in  the 
rock  to  the  citadel,  to  visit  the  vice-governor,  Major  General  Sir 
John  Cameron;  but  he  was  sick.  We  walked  round  the  ram 
parts  of  the  citadel,  and  enjoyed  at  every  point  an  admira 
ble  view,  to  which  the  fine  weather  contributed  its  full  propor 
tion.  At  noon  we  walked  to  Stoke,  a  village  in  which  the  in 
habitants  of  Plymouth  have  country  seats.  At  this  place  it  is 
customary,  as  far  as  practicable,  to  bury  the  dead  on  Sunday;  we 
therefore  met  funeral  processions  in  most  of  the  streets,  which  did 
not  particularly  raise  our  spirits. 

On  Monday  I  went  with  Sir  James  Saumarez  in  the  Britan 
nia's  barge  to  examine  the  breakwater.  We  first  visited  the  stone 
quarries  at  Calivater,  whence  the  stone  for  the  breakwater  is 
procured.  The  land  where  this  quarry  is  situated  was  purchased 
from  various  proprietors.  The  rock,  which  is  lime-stone,  is 
blasted  with  gunpowder.  Many  of  the  blocks  of  stone  weigh  five 
tons  and  upwards.  They  are  lifted  by  iron  cranes,  by  which  one 
workman  is  able  to  raise  a  ton  and  a  half,  and  placed  upon  small 
four  wheeled  iron  cars,  which  run  on  rail-roads  to  the  quay  where 
the  vessels  lay  which  are  to  convey  them  to  the  breakwater. 
These  vessels,  which  are  built  expressly  for  this  service,  can  carry 


20 

eighteen  of  the  heaviest  of  these  blocks:  the  lighter  stones  are 
carried  in  hired  vessels.  At  the  quarry  we  were  received  by  the 
secretary  of  Mr.  Whitby,  who  planned  the  breakwater,  and  at 
present  superintends  the  work.  A  cave  was  discovered  in  the 
rock  containing  rhinoceros  bones  in  good  preservation,  and  some 
time  after,  another  cavern  was  found  containing  the  bones  and 
teeth  of  bears.  From  the  mount  above  the  quarry,  there  is  an 
extensive  and  exceedingly  beautiful  prospect.  From  this  place 
we  went  to  Bovisand-bay,  where,  under  the  direction  of  Mr. 
Whitby,  a  quay  and  reservoir  of  fresh  water  is  building  for  the 
navy.  The  water  is  collected  from  two  springs  into  a  reservoir 
twenty  feet  deep,  situated  between  the  hills.  Thence  it  is  to  be 
conducted  through  iron  pipes  for  nearly  an  English  mile  to  the 
quay.  These  seventeen  cocks  will  each  deliver  two  and  a  half 
tuns  of  water  a  minute.  The  watering  boats  will  land  at  the  quay, 
and  in  a  very  short  time  return  with  their  lading  to  the  ships.  In 
the  valley  near  the  reservoir  is  Mr.  Whitby's  handsome  dwelling, 
from  which  he  can  survey  the  whole  work,  and  consequently 
may  from  his  own  chamber  control  the  workmen. 

The  breakwater  suffered  exceedingly  by  the  terrible  storm  of 
the  22d  and  23d  of  November,  1824.  It  is  now  to  be  rendered 
more  permanent  in  the  following  manner: — The  stones  most 
exposed  to  the  waves  are  to  be  hewed  and  clamped  together 
with  iron.  I  fear,  however,  that  this  work  will  also  be  de 
stroyed,  unless  a  couple  of  perpendicular  dams  be  built  touch 
ing  the  principal  dam,  to  break  the  force  of  the  waves  before  they 
reach  the  latter.  The  old  works  are  in  so  ruinous  a  condition  that 
we  were  nearly  wrecked  upon  them.  On  this  account  we  stood 
farther  off,  and  went  on  board  of  the  Thetis  frigate  to  pay  a  visit  to 
Sir  John  Phillimore.  Sir  John,  in  honour  of  our  presence,  display 
ed  all  his  flags.  The  marines,  with  their  officers,  stood  near  the 
mizen-mast,  and  with  the  crew  marched  round  the  deck;  some  of 
the  latter  were  armed  with  pikes,  some  with  sabres,  and  others 
with  battle-axes.  I  was  delighted  with  the  perfect  order  and  neat 
ness  which  universally  appeared.  Both  cabins  were  very  elegant 
ly  arranged  and  ornamented  with  mahogany.  As  we  took  leave, 
the  yards  were  manned,  and  a  salute  given.  It  was  now  high 
water,  and  we  passed  between  Drake's  Island  and  Mount  Edge- 
cumbe  through  a  passage  called  the  Bridge,  which  is  dangerous 
on  account  of  rocks.  We  touched  twice  upon  them  without  in 
jury,  as  fortunately  the  wind  was  slight:  we  landed  at  the  beau 
tiful  stone  stairs  of  Mount  Wise. 

On  the  day  following,  I  visited  the  Marine  Hospital,  in  com 
pany  with  Sir  John  Phillimore.  This  is  an  admirably  managed 
and  richly  endowed  institution.  *  The  building  was  begun  during 

•  For  minute  description  of  this  hospital,  sec  Dupin. 


21 

the  seven  years  war.  It  can  accommodate  two  thousand  sick  or 
wounded:  we  found  but  about  seventy  persons  in  the  hospital, 
and  among  these  some  officers  and  midshipmen.  It  appeared  to 
me  that  the  plan  of  having  eight  separate  buildings,  each  three 
stories  high,  was  a  very  good  one,  as  the  spreading  of  contagious 
diseases,  or  of  a  conflagration,  can  be  so  much  more  easily  pre 
vented.  Each  ward  contains  sixteen  bedsteads,  all  of  iron;  the 
bedsteads  for  the  officers  are  of  wood,  and  furnished  with  curtains. 
There  are  also  beds  in  the  wards  for  the  nurses,  which,  in  all  the 
English  marine  hospitals,  are  females,  whose  attendance  is  pre 
ferred  for  its  greater  gentleness  to  that  of  male  assistants.  The 
sick  are  brought  from  the  ships  to  the  hospital  by  water,  and  go, 
or  are  carried  up  a  wide  stone  stair  to  the  receiving  office.  They 
are  then  stripped  and  bathed  in  the  hospital  to  which  they  are 
sent,  and  their  clothes  are  marked,  and  kept  in  a  particular  ma 
gazine.  An  iron  crane  is  employed  to  land  those  who  are  badly 
wounded.  In  all  the  wards,  as  well  as  in  the  different  store 
rooms,  and  the  apothecary  room,  the  greatest  order  and  clean 
liness  is  observable. 

The  church  does  not  appear  to  me  to  be  arranged  in  corres 
pondence  with  the  rest  of  the  establishment.  It  is  small,  and  has 
a  store-room  on  the  first  floor,  so  that  the  patients  find  it  occa 
sionally  very  troublesome  to  attend  upon  worship.  A  covered 
colonnade  surrounds  the  quadrangular  court-yard  which  encloses 
the  building,  under  which  the  patients,  in  bad  or  hot  weather, 
can  exercise.  The  middle  of  the  court-yard  is  a  well-kept  grass- 
plot. 

For  maniac  patients  there  is  a  proper  house,  built  remote  from 
the  others.  The  wash-house  stands  also  aloof.  In  bad  weather, 
the  wash  is  dried  by  steam.  The  wash  is  hung  upon  frames, 
which  fold  together,  and  may  be  run  in  and  out  for  the  conve 
nience  of  taking  off  the  dried  pieces  and  adding  the  wet.  Eight 
of  such  frames  may  be  folded  together  and  occupy  a  very  small 
space.  There  is  also  a  very  appropriately  managed  bathing-house 
for  the  use  of  the  patients,  in  which  they  may  not  only  have  all 
sorts  of  baths,  but  with  the  greatest  convenience.  The  superin 
tendents,  physicians,  and  officers,  have  their  dwellings  in  front 
of  the  hospital,  in  a  spacious  place  planted  with  trees.  The  com 
missioner  at  the  head  of  the  institution,  is  Captain  Creyke^  a  pen 
sioner,  eighty  years  old,  who  first  served  at  sea  in  1759,  and  ac 
companied  Commodore  Wallis  in  his  first  voyage  round  the 
world.  Before  we  left  the  hospital  we  took  a  glance  at  his  beau 
tifully  situated  and  tastefully  arranged  house.  We  then  visited 
the  Plymouth  Library,  established  by  subscription  about  twent}' 
years  ago,  which  does  not  yet  appear  to  be  very  rich.  The  es 
tablishment  consists  of  three  apartments,  the  book-room,  the  read- 


22 

ing-room,  and  the  director's  meeting-room.  The  library  serves 
properly  for  a  reading  club,  like  our  literary  society  at  Ghent. 
On  the  10th,  I  dined  in  company  with  Admiral  Saumarez  and 
Sir  John  Phillimore,  with  the  officer's  mess  of  the  twenty-fourth 
regiment  of  infantry,  commanded  by  Lieutenant  Colonel  Flem- 

On  the  ensuing  day,  the  admiral  accompanied  us  to  Mount  Edge- 
cumbe  Park;  this  is  a  truly  noble  situation,  yet,  in  time  of  war, 
as  this  position  is  indispensable  to  the  defence  of  the  dock-yard, 
it  is  necessary  to  convert  it  into  a  fortification.  The  ground  is 
very  advantageously  employed  in  the  disposition  and  embellish 
ment  of  the  park:  it  is  not  encumbered  with  buildings;  the  green 
and  bath-bouse  are  the  principal,  and  in  the  construction  of  these 
the  marble  of  the  vicinity  has  been  very  happily  used.  The 
trees  are  chiefly  beech,  some  of  them  apparently  very  old,  sickly, 
and  injured  by  the  sea-air.  There  are  also  three  great  cedars  of 
Lebanon,  which  do  not  thrive  well  in  an  English  park.  The 
Castle  of  Mount  Edgccumbe  is  ancient,  and  externally  resembles 
a  state  prison ;  we  did  not  examine  it  internally.  We  saw  the 
monument  of  Lady  Mount  Edgecumbe,  who  died  in  1806,  to 
whom  the  park  is  indebted  for  most  of  its  improvements.  It  is 
told  of  her  that  she  was  twice  buried;  the  first  time  she  remain 
ed  three  days  in  a  vault,  lying  in  her  coffin,  and  was  aroused  by 
a  thief  cutting  off  her  finger  to  steal  a  ring:  she  left  the  grave, 
took  refuge  in  a  neighbouring  house,  made  herself  known, 
and  was  reconveyed  to  her  castle,  where  she  subsequently  lived 
several  years  and  gave  birth  to  children.  Relata  refero.  On  the 
sea-shore,  near  the  bridge  that  we  passed  two  days  since,  Lord 
Mount  Edgecumbe  has  erected  a  battery  of  twenty-one  iron  six 
pounders,  which  he  fires  upon  all  festival  occasions.  We  em 
barked  at  this  battery  to  visit  the  rock  lying  in  front  of  Stone- 
house,  called  Devil's  Point,  which  is  to  be  partly  levelled  to  make 
room  for  a  new  victualling  office.  The  work  is  scarcely  begun. 
A  cellar  was  dug  out  of  the  rock  and  a  wall  built  in  the  sea  to 
support  the  foundation.  This  was  effected  by  means  of  a  diving- 
bell.  The  bell  containing  the  workmen,  remained  while  we  were 
present,  nearly  four  hours  under  water.  Government  intends  to 
construct  a  new  water-reservoir  at  this  place,  which  will  proba 
bly  render  that  of  Bovisand  unnecessary.  Drinking  water  is 
brought  to  Plymouth  in  iron  pipes  from  Dartmouth,  which  is 
eighteen  miles  distant,  so  that  in  time  of  war  the  supply  might 
readily  be  cut  off. 

Next  day  I  went  by  land  to  visit  the  Castle  of  Sallroun,  si 
tuated  six  English  miles  from  Plymouth  at  the  end  of  Catwater, 
and  belonging  to  Lord  Morlay,  who  resides  in  London.  The 
roaxl  passes  through  a  delightful  valley;  on  the  right  is  Catwater, 


23 

to  the  left  the  ruins  of  castles  on  the  heights:  there  are  also  here 
numerous  terrace-shaped  strawberry  beds,  the  fruit  of  which  is 
exceedingly  good.  Close  to  the  entrance  of  the  park  we  crossed 
the  Catwater  upon  an  old,  very  narrow,  stone  bridge  of  five 
arches.  Through  the  park,  a  beautiful  road  leads  from  the  valley 
to  the  loftily  situated  castle.  It  rained  excessively,  and  as  we 
could  see  nothing  from  the  park,  we  restricted  ourselves  to  the 
castle,  which  was  built  probably  about  sixty  years  ago,  and  has  a 
very  large  apartment  in  the  basement.  A  very  spacious  vesti 
bule  leads  to  the  library,  in  which  are  a  number  of  splendid  fa 
mily  portraits  and  pictures  of  some  once  celebrated  actresses.  The 
best  picture  is  a  portrait  of  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  painted  by 
himself.  Four  plaster  columns  resembling  verd-antique  are  ex 
cellent  imitations.  From  the  library  a  small  apartment  opens 
into  the  picture  gallery.  In  both  rooms  are  several  paintings  by 
Carlo  Dolce,  Andrea  Del  Sarto,  Teniers,  Wouvermans,  Ostade, 
Kuyp,  Vandermeulen,  &c.  I  cannot  assert  that  all  these  are 
original  paintings.  In  the  parlour,  ball-room,  and  dining-hall, 
there  are  also  numerous  pictures.  Some  of  these  are  attributed 
to  Angelica  Kauffman,  others  to  Reubens,  Van  Dyke,  Sassofer- 
rato,  Guido  Rheni,  Titian,  Ruysdael,  Parmegiano,  &c.  However, 
I  have  seen  the  originals  of  many  of  them  at  Antwerp  and  Ghent, 
and  of  one  of  the  Parmegianos  in  Windsor  Castle.  Among  the 
statues  and  busts,  I  especially  remarked  a  copy  of  the  Florentine 
Venus,  by  Canova,  and  a  copy  of  Hebe  by  the  same  master.  The 
staircase  of  the  castle  is  fine,  and  adorned  with  pictures  by  An 
gelica  Kauffman.  The  mantel-pieces,  all  of  Italian  marble,  orna 
mented  with  bas-reliefs,  are  also  very  remarkable.  The  bad 
weather  accompanied  us  throughout  our  return  to  Plymouth.  On 
this  occasion  I  remarked  that  the  pavement  was  taken  up  in  se 
veral  streets,  and  Macadamized,  which  is  much  better  for  the 
horses  and  houses. 

[Several  succeeding  days  were  spent  in  excursions  to  different 
places  in  the  vicinity,  in  company  with  the  Admiral  and  Sir  John 
Phillimore;  and  one  day  on  a  water  party  accompanied  by  ladies.] 

On  the  19th  of  May,  in  a  small  boat  belonging  to  the  Fortitude, 
I  made,  with  great  pleasure,  an  excursion  to  Trematon  Castle,  which 
I  had  formerly  understood  was  once  the  residence  of  the  ancient 
Princes  of  Cornwall.  Sir  John  Phillimore  had  been  so  polite  as  to 
inform  the  proprietor,  Mr.  Tucker,  chief  director  of  the  neighbour 
ing  mines,  whose  son  is  an  officer  on  board  the  Thetis,  of  our  com 
ing.  On  landing,  we  found  a  carriage  sent  by  Mr.  Tucker  to  meet 
and  convey  us  to  the  castle.  I  observed  here  a  water-mill,  behind 
which  was  a  large  walled  basin  that  is  filled  by  the  flood  tide, 
and  closed  by  a  gate.  During  the  ebb  tide  the  gate  is  opened  and 


24 

the  mill  set  to  work.  It  reminded  me  of  the  bassins  de  chasse, 
in  some  of  our  harbours. 

Trematon  Castle  is  situated  upon  a  height.  Besides  the  walls 
furnished  with  loop-holes  which  form  a  quadrangle,  the  castle 
consists  of  but  two  towers,  one  quadrangular,  which  forms  the 
entrance,  and  the  other  a  round  one,  somewhat  higher.  As 
Mr.  Tucker  holds  this  castle  of  the  king,  the  royal  arms  are  over 
the  portal.  In  the  court-yard  of  the  castle,  Mr.  Tucker  has 
built  a  tasteful  house,  and,  by  removing  part  of  the  adjacent  wall, 
has  obtained  a  beautiful  prospect  from  his  dwelling,  comprising  a 
view  of  most  of  the  Hamoaze  with  the  shipping,  Anthony's  Park, 
Devonport,  and  part  of  Plymouth  Sound.  Mr.  Tucker  holds 
several  important  posts  in  the  navy,  and  during  Fox's  ministry 
he  was  secretary  to  the  admiralty.  At  the  overthrow  of  that  ad 
ministration,  he  retired  to  his  native  place  with  a  pension  of 
two  thousand  pounds  per  annum,  and  the  office  of  secretary  to 
the  duchy  of  Cornwall;  here  he  is  highly  esteemed,  enjoys  great 
influence,  and  has  his  property  principally  vested  in  the  mines. 
After  receiving  us  in  a  very  friendly  manner,  and  introducing 
his  family,  he  took  a  seat  in  the  carriage. 

We  went  eight  miles  further  to  a  silver  mine,  the  only  one  in 
England.  It  belongs  to  a  company  of  five  stockholders,  of  which 
Mr.  Tucker  is  the  principal.  The  country  is  very  hilly,  the  road 
sometimes  narrow  and  steep,  so  that  it  was  frequently  necessary 
to  lock  the  wheels.  A  part  of  the  way  was  over  the  good  road 
from  Saltash  to  Callington;  we  also  passed  near  to  Pentilhe 
castle.  The  land  is  generally  good,  with  the  exception  of  a 
heath,  of  which  England  contains  a  number  under  the  name  of 
"  commons."  The  silver  mine  is  situated  in  a  deep  valley  of 
Fulliford  common.  The  mine  is  named  St.  Vincent,  in  honour 
of  the  deceased  admiral,  who  was  a  great  patron  of  Mr.  Tucker. 
The  mine  has  been  but  five  years  in  progress,  and  produces  so 
little  that  it  sinks  two  hundred  pounds  per  month  for  the  stock 
holders.  The  vein  of  silver,  whose  presence  is  judged  of  cer 
tainly  by  iron-stone,  is  cut  at  right  angles  by  a  vein  of  copper. 
This  copper  they  are  breaking  through  in  hopes  of  greater  suc 
cess.  The  mine  has  five  shafts;  the  deepest  is  rather  more  than 
three  hundred  feet  deep,  and  serves  as  a  working-shaft:  two  others 
are  used  for  pumping  out  the  water.  One  pump  is  worked  by  a 
steam-engine  of  seventy  horse-power,  the  other  is  worked  by  a 
compound  lever,  which  is  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  long, 
moved  by  a  water-wheel  of  forty  feet  in  diameter.  The  wheel 
is  overshot,  and  the  water  for  working  it  is  obtained  from  a  small 
brook,  aided  by  the  water  pumped  up  by  the  steam  machine, 
and  conducted  to  it  by  a  small  canal.  The  lever  is  composed 


25 

of  long  wooden  beams,  bound  together  with  iron  straps,  and  hangg 
by  tripods  placed  at  determinate  distances. 

The  ore  raised  from  the  mine,  is  pounded,  washed,  and  roast 
ed  in  the  usual  manner.  In  order  to  separate  the  silver  from  the 
ore,  the  following  mixture  is  added  to  an  ounce  of  the  powder; 
red  lead,  two  ounces;  red  tartar,  five  pennyweights;  nitre,  nine 
pennyweights;  borax,  four  pennyweights;  lime,  one-quarter  of  an 
ounce;  common  salt,  two  ounces;  pounded  fluor  spar,  one-quarter 
of  an  ounce.  The  whole  is  thrown  into  a  red  hot  iron  crucible, 
which  is  placed  on  a  glowing  coke  fire  for  five  minutes.  The 
crucible  is  then  taken  off  and  the  melted  mass  poured  into  a 
ladle,  allowed  to  cool  and  the  dross  removed.  Some  copper  still 
remains  in  the  mass,  so  that  the  silver  is  again  smelted  with  some 
lead,  and  poured  into  a  small  vessel  made  of  bone  ashes:  the  lead 
is  oxydated  and  the  silver  remains  pure.  An  ounce  of  ore  pro 
duces  one-fourth  of  an  ounce  of  silver. 

The  mine  is  extremely  damp,  and  as  I  had  not  felt  entirely 
well  for  some  days,  I  did  not  descend,  neither  did  any  of  the 
company.  We  returned  to  Trematon,  and  in  order  to  examine 
the  noble  spot  to  which  we  were  going  more  thoroughly,  I 
mounted  the  box,  and  enjoyed  a  great  treat.  To  the  left  I  look 
ed  down  a  deep  valley  upon  the  Tamer;  farther  off,  upon  the  Ha- 
moaze,  and  to  the  right,  far  over  Cornwall.  Falmouth  is  said 
also  to  be  in  sight.  In  his  tastefully  arranged  house,  Mr.  Tucker 
has  a  very  interesting  collection  of  minerals  and  metals  of  the 
vicinity.  He  possesses  a  valuable  library,  and  his  wife  has  a 
remarkable  collection  of  shells.  In  the  quadrangular  tower  of 
the  castle,  he  has  fitted  up  a  billiard  room,  and  arranged  on  the 
walls  numerous  curiosities:  ancient  weapons,  and  implements  from 
the  South  Sea  Islands,  the  tatoed  and  dried  head  of  a  New  Zealand 
chief,  with  his  dress;  pieces  of  worm-eaten  ship-timber  from  the 
Indian  Ocean,  with  one  of  the  worms  in  spirits;  Indian  weapons; 
an  American  tomahawk;  a  human  skull,  found  thirty  feet  under 
ground  in  Cornwall;  a  marble  bullet,  with  which  an  English  ship 
was  struck  in  the  Dardanelles,  in  1S07;  articles  from  the  field  of 
Waterloo;  and  a  weeping  willow  leaf  from  over  Napoleon's  tomb! 
Above  the  clock  in  this  tower,  is  placed  the  bell  of  the  Spanish 
ship  Salvador  del  Mundo,  taken  and  burnt  by  Lord  St.  Vin 
cent.  The  round  tow^er,  of  which  only  the  outward  wall  is  stand 
ing,  formerly  served  for  a  prison.  The  walls  of  this  tower,  as 
well  as  all  the  rest  of  the  castle,  are  overgrown  with  ivy.  A 
wooden  staircase  within,  leads  to  a  circular  gallery,  which  af 
fords  a  beautiful  prospect.  A  narrow  passage  cut  through  the 
walls,  leads  to  the  garden,  which  contains  numerous  hot  houses 
and  a  very  fine  orangery.  From  this  spot  Mr.  Tucker  accom 
panied  us,  by  a  very  shady  foot-path,  back  to  our  boat  I  remark- 

VOL.  I.  4 


26 

ed  near  the  Castle  of  Trematon,  as  about  other  English  cas 
tles,  and  public  walks,  a  vast  flock  of  rooks,  which  roost  there, 
making  a  great  filth  and  noise.  The  rook  is  much  esteemed, 
and  I  hearthat  the  people  foster  them,  and  have  their  eggs  hatch 
ed  under  pigeons,  as  they  are  thought  to  destroy  vast  numbers  of 
injurious  insects. 

Amid  all  this  friendly,  agreeable,  and  learned  society,  these 
entertainments  and  excursions,  my  impatience  became  great,  and 
augmented  from  day  to  day,  from  hour  to  hour.  My  time  was 
precious,  yet  the  greater  part  of  it  was  lost  here.  I  waited  with 
increasing  anxiety  for  the  arrival  of  the  Pallas,  which  still  did 
not  appear.  More  than  once  I  resolved  to  leave  behind  all  I  had 
on  board  of  the  corvette,  and  go  to  the  United  States  in  a  com 
mon  packet.  In  the  meanwhile  various  considerations  deferred 
my  departure  from  day  to  day,  until  finally  on  the  30th  of  May 
the  Pallas  arrived. 

While  waiting  for  the  ship,  I  derived  much  pleasure  from  a 
visit  made  with  Sir  John  Phillimore  to  the  country  seat  of 
Colonel  Ginnis,  formerly  of  the  army.  He  lives  in  a  beautiful 
park,  a  charming  situation,  five  miles  from  Plymouth,  not  far 
from  the  left  bank  of  the  Tamer,  with  five  lovely  and  handsome 
daughters.  His  house  is  very  tastefully  arranged,  and  orna 
mented  with  paintings  by  himself.  He  has  a  peculiar  talent  for 
landscape  painting,  both  in  oil  and  water  colours.  He  has  thus 
preserved  representations  of  the  most  beautiful  situations  visited 
in  the  course  of  his  numerous  journeys.  He  passed  nine  years 
in  North  America,  and  showed  us  views  of  wonders  of  nature, 
which  I  hope  soon  to  admire  myself.  His  view  of  the  cataract 
of  Niagara,  and  Falls  of  Montmorenci,  gave  me  great  pleasure. 

Sir  John  Phillimore  also  accompanied  me  to  see  Mr.  Harris, 
a  surgeon,  who  has  invented  a  new  lightning  conductor  fur  ships. 
He  has,  for  the  sake  of  experiment,  had  the  model  of  a  frigate 
built,  which  he  floats  in  a  tub  of  water.  There  is  a  conductor  to 
each  mast,  from  which  copper  rods,  secured  close  to  each  other, 
run  down  the  mast  to  the  keel,  through  which  they  pass  into  the 
water.  Mr.  Harris  asserts,  that  the  lightning  passes  down  these 
rods  without  affecting  any  thing  in  the  vicinity.  To  prove  this, 
he  wound  around  the  mast  a  paper  filled  with  fine  gunpowder, 
through  which  the  lightning  was  sent  without  exploding  it.  To 
prove  farther,  that  the  electricity  can  produce  combustion  after 
passing  through  water,  he  connected  the  conductor  below  the 
keel  by  a  copper  wire,  with  the  touch-hole  of  a  small  cannon, 
which  was  floated  in  the  tub.  When  the  electricity  strikes  the 
conductor  on  the  mast,  the  cannon  is  instantaneously  fired.  The 
cloud  is  represented  by  a  frame  stuffed  with  cotton,  which  hangs 
by  a  silk  thread,  and  is  connected  with  an  electrical  machine. 


27 

Mr.  Harris  has  a  fine  collection  of  philosophical  apparatus;  the 
lightning  rod  of  his  house  communicates  by  conductors  with  a 
chime  of  bells,  which  are  set  to  ringing  whenever  an  electric  cloud 
passes  over  the  house;  this  happened  during  our  visit.  Mr.  Har 
ris  has  published  a  small  pamphlet  relative  to  his  ship-conductor, 
of  which  he  presented  me  with  a  copy.  We  were  very  much 
gratified  with  his  experiments,  and  were  grateful  to  him  for  his 
politeness. 

The  delay  of  the  Pallas  also  afforded  me  an  opportunity  of  see 
ing  an  East  India  ship  launched.  She  was  called  the  City  of 
Rochester;  was  built  in  London,  and  had  sailed  on  her  first 
voyage  last  autumn,  for  Bengal,  but  off  the  heights  of  Plymouth 
was  struck  by  a  tremendous  hurricane  with  so  much  power 
as  to  wreck  her  to  a  degree  that  required  rebuilding.  I  had  an 
opportunity  of  examining  her  while  on  the  stocks,  and  was 
pleased  with  her  construction.  She  is  intended  to  carry  pas 
sengers.  On  the  quarter-deck  she  has  a  parlour  and  two  state 
rooms,  like  the  captain's  quarters  in  a  ship  of  the  line,  and  be 
low,  the  rooms  are  distributed,  as  in  the  wardroom  of  a  ship  of 
the  line,  with  this  difference,  that  in  a  transport  ship  the  cham 
bers  are  larger  and  neater  than  in  a  ship  of  war.  In  each  state 
room  there  is  a  toilette,  with  a  water-closet,  which  is  exceed 
ingly  good  and  comfortable.  As  I  had  never  seen  a  ship 
launched  before,  I  was  much  interested.  She  rested  upon  two 
ways,  and  was  retained  by  two  wedges;  at  a  given  signal  these 
were  knocked  away,  and  then  by  her  own  weight  she  was  slowly 
and  majestically  launched  into  the  water,  amid  the  acclamations 
of  a  great  crowd  of  people. 

The  celebrated  General  Mina,  a  victim  of  the  troubles  which 
existed  in  unfortunate  Spain,  met  with  a  hearty  welcome  in  Eng 
land.  But  the  humid  climate  of  this  island  did  not  agree  with 
him,  and  he  was  afflicted  with  rheumatism.  Plymouth  has  the 
reputation  of  enjoying  a  very  fine  climate,  and  together  with  the 
great  medical  skill  of  Dr.  Hammick,  who  has  charge  of  the  Ma 
rine  hospital,  is  very  much  praised.  For  both  these  reasons, 
General  Mina  had  selected  Plymouth  as  his  residence.  I  cul 
tivated  his  acquaintance,  and  was  witness  of  a  very  interest 
ing  ceremony  in  honour  of  him.  The  Spanish  committee  in 
London  had  voted  him  a  sword,  and  a  member  of  this  society, 
Mr.  Bowring,  the  same  person  who  in  1824  was  arrested  in 
France,  on  account  of  a  pretended  treasonable  correspondence, 
and  soon  after  liberated  again,  was  commissioned  to  present  this 
sword  to  the  general  in  a  solemn  manner.  It  was  on  the  2d  of 
June,  when  a  numerous  and  selected  company  met  at  the  Royal 
Hotel  of  Plymouth,  to  attend  this  ceremony.  As  the  general 
was  introduced  to  the  company,  Mr.  Bowring  informed  the  pub- 


28 

lie  of  the  object  of  the  meeting,  and  praised  the  merits  of  the  brave 
general.  He  then  addressed  the  general  in  Spanish,  informed 
him  of  the  decision  of  the  committee,  and  finally  displayed  the 
diploma  which  accompanied  the  sword:  this  was  drawn  up  in 
English  and  Spanish  with  great  calligraphic  splendour.  The  di 
ploma  and  sabre  were  then  presented  to  the  general.  The  sword 
has  a  gold  hilt,  with  the  general's  arms  on  it,  and  a  richly  gilt 
sheath,  the  sides  of  which  were  beautifully  embossed  with  em 
blems  of  the  general's  services.  Mina  returned  an  answer  in 
Spanish,  and  gave  it  to  Mr.  Bowring.  One  of  the  company 
quickly  translated  it  into  English,  for  the  benefit  of  the  public, 
whose  long-continued  applauses  expressed  their  admiration  of  the 
brave  general.  Mr.  Bowring  invited  me  to  a  friendly  entertain 
ment  that  was  to  be  given  to  Mina;  unfortunately  I  was  obliged 
to  decline  it,  as  I  had  already  made  another  engagement. 

[The  5th  of  June  was  fixed  upon  for  the  sailing  of  the  Pallas 
for  Falmouth,  but  bad  weather  and  high  head  winds  detained  her 
until  the  7th.  On  the  9th,  at  6  A.  M  she  arrived  at  Falmouth.] 

This  tolerably  long  town  lay  at  the  foot  of  a  hill,  on  our  left, 
and  contains  seven  thousand  inhabitants.  It  has  by  no  means  a 
brilliant  appearance,  as  it  is,  like  Devonport,  built  of  grey  lime 
stone,  and  the  roofs  are  slated.  It  is  not  visible  from  the  sea,  as 
a  hill  intervenes,  upon  which  the  citadel  stands.  On  the  right 
side  of  the  bay  there  is  an  old  castle,  called  St.  Mawes,  with  about 
five  houses,  tenanted  by  poor  fishermen;  this  castle  is  one  of  the 
often-mentioned  rotten  boroughs:  it  formerly  was  a  town,  and 
still  sends  two  members  to  parliament. 

The  hills  are  mostly  cultivated;  some  are  employed  as  pastures. 
Trees  are  very  rare,  and  few  ships  lay  in  the  harbour.  We  an 
chored  not  far  from  the  frigate  Astrea,  a  guard-ship,  and  saluted 
her  with  eleven  guns,  which  she  returned.  When  we  fired  a 
salute  on  our  arrival  at  Spithead,  the  oil  was  spilled  from  the 
tympisometer,  and  Captain  Ryk  was  obliged  to  obtain  a  new  one 
from  London.  To  avoid  a  similar  catastrophe,  the  sympisometer 
and  chronometer  were  both  kept  in  hands  during  this  salute.  The 
frigate  Astrea,  commanded  by  Captain  King,  serves  as  a  depot 
for  all  the  packets,  which  sail  hence  to  all  parts  of  the  world  lying 
south  and  west  of  England,  and  are  collectively  under  command 
of  Captain  King.  The  packets  were  formerly  private  property; 
the  conveyance  of  the  mail  to  foreign  parts,  was  consequently  not 
only  very  irregular,  but  a  wide  door  was  opened  for  smuggling. 

-On  this  account,  the  government,  after  having  contracted  with 

the  former  proprietors  of  the  packets,  assumed  the  sole  direction. 

When  a  packet  is  no  longer  retained  in  service,  a  corvette  or  brig, 

ommanded  by  a  lieutenant  of  the  navy,  is  substituted.     At  this 

time  thirty-four  packets  were  in  service,  of  which  fifteen  were 


29 

vessels  of  war,  commanded  by  navy  officers,  the  others  were  the 
old  packets  in  charge  of  their  former  captains. 

Soon  after  our  arrival  we  were  visited  by  the  consul  of  the 
Netherlands,  Mr.  Lake,  who  brought  me  several  letters.  We 
afterwards  received  a  visit  from  Captain  King,  a  very  entertain 
ing  old  gentleman.  At  eleven  o'clock,  Captain  Ryk  and  I  went 
on  shore,  where  we  found  a  crowd  assembled  to  witness  our  land 
ing.  We  took  lodgings  in  the  Royal  Hotel,  a  large,  tastefully- 
arranged  building,  though  in  a  very  filthy  street.  We  were  much 
annoyed  by  the  fish-market,  which  was  immediately  opposite  to 
us;  in  this  we  saw  very  large  and  fine  fish,  as  well  as  enormous 
shrimps,  which  are  here  very  cheap.  We  repaired  to  the  Custom 
House,  where  I  made  the  necessary  arrangements  relative  to  the 
landing  of  my  baggage,  after  which  we  visited  Mr.  Lake  and 
Captain  King.  The  latter  lived  without  the  limits  of  the  city, 
near  the  bay,  in  a  house,  which,  though  old  and  small,  is  very  hand 
somely  situated  in  a  garden,  and  commands  a  very  fine  prospect 
of  the  bay.  The  house  is  also  historically  remarkable:  it  was 
once  inhabited  by  Oliver  Cromwell. 

The  citadel,  named  Pendennis  Castle,  stands,  as  has  been  al 
ready  remarked,  on  an  eminence  near  the  entrance  of  the  bay, 
which  it  defends.  It  occupies  the  entire  height,  and  is  not  over 
looked  by  any  other  fortress.  The  soil  consists  of  slate,  and  many 
of  the  works  are  cut  out  of  the  rock.  It  has  six  bastions,  and  on 
the  water  side,  two  batteries,  each  of  about  twenty  pieces. 
A  furnace  for  heating  shot  stands  near  the  upper  battery,  and  the 
lower,  which  lies  close  to  the  shore,  is  attached  by  its  left  wing 
to  an  old  tower  erected  during  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.  The 
fortress  was  built  in  Cromwell's  time.  At  the  southern  point 
stands  an  old  tower,  built  of  granite  and  surrounded  by  a  ditch, 
which  was  erected  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VIII.  This  tower,  the 
original  fortress,  serves  at  present  as  the  dwelling  of  the  com- 
»mander.  It  may  be  compared  with  the  French  tours  modelcs. 
From  the  pinnacle,  a  tolerably  extensive  prospect  of  the  surround 
ing  country  may  be  obtained.  The  day  on  which  I  visited  the 
fortress  with  several  officers  from  the  Pallas,  was  very  favourable, 
and  yet  a  fog  on  the  hills,  descended  into  the  vale  between  the 
fortress  and  the  city  of  Falmouth,  so  that  some  time  elapsed  before 
we  could  see  the  rocky  shore  of  the  sea.  These  fogs  are  said  to 
appear  very  frequently,  even  on  the  finest  summer  days.  The 
fortress,  which  is  capable  of  containing  a  garrison  of  two  thousand 
men,  was  merely  occupied  by  a  detachment  of  veterans.  There 
is  an  arsenal  in  it,  where  we  saw  nearly  four  thousand  stands  of 
arms  for  infantry  and  marines,  besides  a  number  of  sabres,  &c.  all 
very  handsomely  arranged.  I  observed  in  this,  as  in  other  English 
fortresses,  that  even  during  peace,  nearly  all  the  cannon  are  suf- 


30 

fered  to  remain  mounted  on  the  walls,  and  the  fortresses  are  en 
closed  with  palisades.  Truly !  many  persons  find  the  business  of 
keeping  the  carriages  in  good  order  very  profitable,  and  the  pali 
sades  also  serve  instead  of  hedges ! 

The  Dalcoath  mines  are  about  fourteen  miles  from  Falmouth. 
The  stockholders  of  these  mines,  held  a  meeting  on  the  13th  of 
June,  to  settle  their  accounts.  I  rode  thither  with  Mr.  Lake, 
Captain  Ryk,  and  some  officers  of  the  Pallas.  But  having  already 
visited  many  mines,  and  learnt  from  experience  that  nothing  is 
generally  seen  but  small  and  low  passages,  that  much  inconveni 
ence  is  experienced  from  dampness  and  filth,  and  my  object  being 
to  visit  America,  I  thought  it  by  no  means  necessary  to  enter 
these  subterraneous  regions.  Coals  are  not  found  in  the  province 
of  Cornwall.  The  ore  is  therefore  sold  in  heaps,  at  about  seven 
pounds  and  a  half  sterling  per  ton,  and  conveyed  by  water  to 
Wales,  where,  as  is  well  known,  stone-coal  is  found  in  abundance; 
it  is  there  smelted.  The  Dalcoath  mines  occupy  a  large  extent 
of  ground, -and  have  seven  shafts,  one  of  which  is  three  hundred 
and  forty  fathoms  deep.  The  pumps  are  worked  by  means  of 
steam-engines,  the  cylinder  of  one  of  which  is  seventy -six  inches 
in  diameter.  We  were  told  of  an  engine  in  the  neighbourhood, 
whose  cylinder  was  one  hundred  inches  in  diameter.  Nearly 
eight  hundred  people  work  daily  in  the  Dalcoath  mines,  whose 
wages  are  proportioned  to  the  product  of  their  labour.  The  ridge 
consists  of  granite  and  schist.  The  metals  are  copper  and  tin. 
The  veins  of  these  metals  lie  close  together,  frequently  cross  each 
other,  and  are  so  rich,  that  in  general  it  yields  a  third  of  its 
weight  in  pure  metal.  The  stone  is  broken  and  washed,  and  the 
copper  separated  from  the  tin,  after  which  the  ore  is  collected  into 
heaps  for  sale.  The  breaking  of  the  stone  into  small  pieces  is 
performed  by  women,  some  of  whom  were  very  handsome.  I  re 
marked  also,  that  the  stone  was  drawn  up  the  shaft  in  iron,  and 
not  in  wooden  buckets,  as  is  customary  in  other  countries.  The 
company  to  which  these  mines  belong  is  said  to  realize  great 
sums;  however  a  deficit  occasionally  occurs.  This  was  the  case 
at  the  present  settlement  of  accounts,  and  for  this  reason  the  gen 
tlemen,  about  twenty  in  number,  with  a  permanent  director,  Mr. 
Rennel  at  their  head,  were  not  in  the  best  humour.  At  the  din 
ner,  which  naturally  closed  the  transaction,  many  local  concerns, 
which  did  not  particularly  interest  us,  were  discussed.  Many 
toasts,  which  all  referred  to  localities,  were  drank.  At  last,  it 
occurred  to  the  gentlemen  to  drink  the  health  of  the  king  of  the 
Netherlands  which  I  returned  by  drinking  the  health  of  the  royal 
family  of  England.  The  dinner  consisted,  according  to  the  Eng 
lish  fashion,  of  very  solid  food— roast-beef,  plumb-pudding,  &c. 
Uur  course  led  us  through  Penryn,  a  small  place,  about  two 


31 

miles  from  Falmouth,  containing  about  three  thousand  inhabi 
tants,  and  but  poorly  built.  It  has  a  harbour,  and  lies  at  one  ex 
tremity  of  Falmouth  Bay.  Coal  ships  from  Wales,  and  vessels 
with  grain  from  Ireland,  principally  visit  this  port.  Cornwall  is 
too  hilly  to  allow  the  necessary  grain  to  be  raised,  and  the  mines 
occupy  so  much  space,  and  withdraw  so  many  poor  people  from 
farming,  that  by  far  the  largest  portion  of  grain  must  be  brought 
from  other  quarters.  The  road,  which,  though  hilly,  was  in  a 
good  state,  led  through  many  pastures  which  were  enclosed  with 
hedges. 

The  few  trees  which  are  seen,  have  not  attained  a  great 
height.  In  the  new  plantations  I  observed  some  larches.  The 
houses  are  built  of  stone,  many  of  granite,  here  very  common 
and  cheap,  and  roofed  with  slate.  Many  new  houses  are  erected 
on  speculation,  because  the  population  rapidly  increases.  We 
also  passed  through  Redruth,  a  hilly  and  angular  town,  of  about 
three  thousand  inhabitants,  who  are  principally  miners.  The 
town  is  surrounded  by  mines,  whose  general  aspect  is  by  no 
means  pleasing.  On  an  eminence  not  far  from  Redruth,  we  saw 
some  ruins  which  are  said  to  be  the  remains  of  a  Druid  temple. 
In  the  mines  I  observed  a  superstitious  practice,  which  I  find 
to  prevail  also  in  ships  and  farm  houses;  a  horse-shoe  is  nailed 
over  the  door  to  keep  off  witches.  When  at  Dalcoath,  we  found 
ourselves  only  a  mile  and  a  half  distant  from  Bristol  Channel,  and 
saw  St.  Agnes'  Beacon,  a  high  mountain  in  the  neighbourhood. 
We  at  last  arrived  at  Tehidy  Park,  belonging  to  Lord  Dunstan- 
ville;  this  is  principally  a  new  settlement,  which  appears  to  great 
advantage  in  a  region  like  this,  which  is  not  rich.  We  stopped 
at  the  dwelling  hojuse  to  view  it.  It  is  a  tolerably  large,  square 
building  with  four  porches,  and  contains  several  paintings  by  Van 
Dyk,  Lely,  Kneller,  Hudson,  and  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds;  how 
ever,  I  doubt  whether  the  former  be  genuine.  I  was  particularly 
pleased  with  a  very  good  portrait  of  the  celebrated  Fox.  We 
saw  also  several  statues,  copies  of  the  best  antiques  and  cameos  of 
verd  andjaune  antique. 

I  had  frequently  seen  sketches  of  St.  Michael's  Mount  in  Corn 
wall,  and  had  long  wished  to  see  the  mount  itself.  I  accordingly 
took  advantage  of  my  present  leisure  to  visit  it.  The  mount  lies 
in  Mountbay,  opposite  Marazion,  twenty-three  miles  distant  from 
Falmouth.  I  left  this  place  June  14th,  at  noon,  the  weather  being 
very  warm.  The  road  leads  through  Penryn,  and  then  inclines  to 
the  left  towards  the  ridges,  constantly  up  and  down  hill,  through 
heaths,  where  few  traces  of  culture  were  observed;  the  houses  stand 
detached,  and  have  a  miserable  appearance.  On  the  heights,  how 
ever,  we  had  occasionally  a  prospect  towards  the  western  ridges  of 
Cornwall.  Trees  are  few  in  number;  we  observed  mines  here  and 


32 

there.  Thirteen  miles  from  Falmouth  lies  Helstone,  a  little 
mining  town  of  two  thousand  five  hundred  inhabitants,  contain 
ing  some  neat  houses,  but  miserable  pavements.  The  court-house 
stands  in  the  middle  of  the  town,  under  which  is  the  market. 
On  the  other  side  of  Helstone  we  came  to  a  beautiful  valley,  where 
we  saw  trees  again,  and  by  means  of  a  stone  bridge  we  passed 
over  Looe,  a  small  stream,  which  at  a  short  distance  empties  into 
the  sea.  As  far  as  Marazion  the  region  is  agreeable;  hilly  indeed, 
but  better  cultivated.  We  approached  the  sea  on  the  left;  on  the 
right  we  had  the  ridges,  among  which  we  discovered  some  neat 
farms.  As  we  approached  Marazion,  which  lies  on  a  descent  to 
wards  the  sea,  we  enjoyed  the  really  fine  view  of  Mountbay  and 
of  St.  Michael's  Mount.  In  Marazion  we  stopped  at  the  Star 
Inn,  and  immediately  took  a  boat  to  reach  the  mountain,  which 
is  a  short  distance  from  the  shore.  The  rock,  which  at  low  wa 
ter  joins  the  shore,  consists  of  granite,  is  a  mile  in  circumference 
at  its  base,  and  is  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high.  At  its  foot 
there  is  a  small  fishing  village  of  about  thirty  houses,  with  a  har 
bour  formed  by  two  new  piers.  By  means  of  very  inconvenient 
steps  which  are  cut  out  of  the  rock,  we  reached  an  old  castle, 
standing  at  the  highest  point,  and  belonging  to  the  family  St. 
Aubyn.  This  is  the  same  family,  whose  chief,  Sir  John  St.  Aubyn, 
owns  almost  all  the  houses  in  Devonport,  and  a  large  portion  of 
the  ground  of  the  dock-yard.  In  former  times,  St.  Michael's 
Mount  was  a  cloister.  Adapted  by  its  isolated  situation  for  a 
fortress,  art  has  contributed  but  little  to  its  strength,  and  add 
ed  merely  a  pair  of  bastions,  and  platforms,  on  which  a  few 
small  cannon  belonging  to  the  owner  of  the  mount,  are  at  present 
standing.  It  sustained  several  sieges  in  former  times.  We  were 
conducted  to  a  Gothic  chapel  with  ancient,  painted  window-glasses, 
after  which  we  examined  the  castle.  In  this,  however,  we  found  no 
thing  remarkable,  except  the  old  refectory  of  the  cloister,  called 
the  chevy-chace-room,  with  strange  bass-reliefs,  representing  an 
cient  hunting  scenes.  In  this  hall  are  very  old  pieces  of  furni 
ture;  one  chair  is  said  to  be  three  hundred,  another  five  hundred 
years  old. 

The  windows  of  the  castle  command  a  very  fine  "prospect  to 
wards  Mountbay  and  its  shores,  in  which  Marazion  and  Pen- 
zance,  which  are  three  miles  distant  from  each  other,  appear  to  very 
great  advantage.     Not  far  from  the  latter  place,  the  Thetis  lay  at 
anchor.   I  regretted  extremely  that  my  time  would  not  allow  me 
to  visit  my  gallant  friend,  Sir  John  Phillimore.     A  steeple  rises 
-bove  the  church  of  the  castle,  which  I,  however,  did  not  as- 
i  '       A  g  fatlSued>  and  the  stePs  in  a  neglected  state.  We  rode 
ick  to  Marazion,  which  was  formerly  called  Marketzew,  and 
Jeven  hundred  inhabitants,  and  passing  by  Helstone,  we  ar- 


33 

rived  about  one  o'clock  at  night,  much  fatigued,  at  Falmouth. 
Penryn,  to  which  I  made  several  excursions,  contains  a  row  of 
newly-built,  elegant  houses,  with  handsome  gardens  and  a  catho 
lic  church.  The  beautiful  terrace  on  which  the  new  houses 
stand  with  their  gardens,  is  called  the  Green  Bank,  and  is  a 
very  agreeable  promenade. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Voyage  from  Falmouth  to  Boston. 

[The  Pallas  sailed  from  Falmouth  Bay  on  the  18th  of  June, 
and  arrived  on  the  26th  of  July.  During  the  voyage  a  midship 
man  was  lost  overboard,  and  the  American  ship  Schuylkill,  in 
distress  for  water  and  provisions,  was  spoken  and  relieved.  The 
other  incidents  of  the  voyage  are  not  sufficiently  interesting  to 
need  a  particular  description. 

The  following  is  the  duke's  account  of  his  landing  at  Boston: — 
It  was  ten  o'clock,  on  the  morning  of  the  26th  of  July, 
when  I  first  placed  my  foot  in  America,  upon  a  broad  piece  of 
granite!  It  is  impossible  to  describe  what  I  felt  at  that  instant. 
Heretofore,  but  two  moments  of  my  life  had  left  a  delightful  re 
membrance;  the  first  was,  when  at  seventeen  years  of  age,  I  re 
ceived  the  Cross  of  the  Legion  of  Honour,  after  the  battle  of 
Wagram — the  second,  when  my  son  William  was  born.  My 
landing  in  America,  that  country  which,  from  my  early  youth, 
had  been  the  object  of  my  warmest  wishes,  will,  throughout  life, 
remain  a  subject  of  pleasing  recollection !] 


CHAPTER  IV. 

Boston. 

ON  our  arrival  in  Boston  we  took  lodgings  at  the  Exchange 
Coffee-house,  where  I  received  a  visit  from  Mr.  Andrew  Ritchie, 
whose  acquaintance  I  made  in  England  two  years  ago.  I  was 
much  pleased  to  see  this  worthy  man  again,  who  eighteen  months 
since  married  the  daughter  of  Mr.  Otis,  formerly  a  senator  of  the 
United  States  and  leader  of  the  federal  party;  both  these  gentle- 

VOL.  I.  5 


men  arc 


34 

_  highly  esteemed  here.  I  dined  at  the  inn  at  two  o'clock, 

according  to  the  custom  of  the  place;  my  seat  was  at  the  head 
of  the  table,  by  the  side  of  the  host,  Mr.  Hamilton.  He  had 
served  in  the  last  war  as  a  volunteer  colonel,  and  still  retained 
his  title.  He  exhibited  much  politeness,  and  indeed  I  cannot 
sufficiently  praise  the  politeness  of  the  guests,  with  many  of  whom 
I  became  acquainted.  The  dishes  were  very  good,  and  even  had 
this  not  been  the  case  I  should  still  have  enjoyed  them,  having 
so  long  been  without  fresh  provisions;  this  was  the  case  with  the 
fruit,  which  though  small  and  bad,  -was  still  agreeable.  On  ac 
count  of  the  excessive  heat,  which  had  been  greater  than  at  any 
time  during  the  last  twenty  years,  fruit  in  general  had  matured 
too  early.  Wine  was  served  up  in  coolers  with  ice,  and  into 
every  glass  of  beer,  a  piece  of  ice  was  thrown. 

Adjoining  the  large  dining  room  is  a  parlour  and  two  sitting 
rooms,  where  strangers  who  have  nothing  to  do  pass  the  day. 
At  a  sideboard,  wine,  lemonade,  soda  water,  &c.  with  ice,  may 
be  obtained.  Eight  newspapers  were  lying  on  a  large  table,  all  of 
which  had  the  form  of  English  papers,  and  were  chiefly  filled 
with  mercantile  and  other  advertisements.  The  house  itself  is  ar 
ranged  much  like  an  English  inn.  The  servants  of  both  colours 
were  civil  and  attentive.  At  four  o'clock,  Mr.  Ritchie  with  his 
father-in-law,  and  the  son  of  the  latter,  lately  returned  from  a  tour 
in  Europe,  came  to  show  us  the  city. 

There  are  many  elegant  stores  in  Cornhill,  one  of  the  princi 
pal  streets.  We  saw  a  new  building,  intended  as  a  branch  of  the 
United  States  Bank,  the  front  of  which  is  plain,  with  two  Doric 
columns,  each  consisting  of  a  single  piece  of  granite,  eighteen 
feet  high,  and  almost  five  feet  in  diameter.  The  first  popular  as 
semblies  at  the  commencement  of  the  American  revolution,  were 
held  in  the  old  court-house.  A  large  hall,  in  which  the  alder 
men  meet,  contains  a  full  length  portrait  of  WASHINGTON,  by 
Stuart,  and  also  a  bust  of  ADAMS,  father  of  the  present  president. 
The.  bust  is  encircled  by  a  wreath  of  stars.  The  names  of  all  the 
citizens  who  distinguished  themselves  by  great  services  during 
the  revolution,  are  engraved  on  four  columns.  The  beef  and  ve 
getable  markets  are  under  the  court-house;  but  as  this  place  was 
justly  considered  unsuitable  for  such  a  purpose,  a  new  market 
was  built  not  far  from  the  water.  The  corporation  began  to  fill 
up  aditch,and  erect  upon  it  a  long  building,  the  foundation  of  which 
is  granite,  and  the  three  stories  of  brick,  which  was  sold  to  the  mer 
chants  as  a  warehouse.  Thissalewasmadeon  such  favourable  terms, 
that  from  the  profits  a  new  market  was  built,  parallel  with  this 
warehouse,  entirely  of  granite.  It  is  five  hundred  and  twenty-five 
feet  long,  fifty  feet  wide,  and  one  story  high.  On  the  other  side  of 
this  market,  and  parallel  with  it,  a  new  row  of  warehouses,  simi- 


35 

lar  to  the  former  are  building.  Mr.  Ritchie  led  us  through  se 
veral  wide  and  elegant  streets  to  his  house,  one  of  the  largest  in 
Boston,  and  situated  on  Beacon-hill,  a  public  promenade.  Many 
frame  houses  are  still  to  be  observed;  no  new  houses  can  be  built 
of  wo«d.  Most  of  them  are  of  brick;  granite,  which  is  found  in 
abundance  about  twenty  miles  from  Boston,  is  used  frequently 
for  foundations,  particularly  for  those  of  stores.  The  mall,  as  it 
is  called,  consists  of  a  large  meadow,  sparingly  planted  with  trees, 
and  extending  down  the  hill  to  the  water.  On  the  highest  part 
of  the  hill  stands  the  state-house  or  capitol,  with  a  large  dome, 
covered  with  copper.  The  building  is  of  brick,  decorated  with  a 
fagade  of  ten  columns.  These  are  of  wood,  and  impart  to  the 
whole  an  air  of  weakness.  Mr.  Ritchie's  house  is  furnished  with 
much  splendour  and  taste,  and  decorated  by  some  paintings  which 
he  obtained  during  his  travels.  Among  these  I  remarked  a  very 
successful  copy  of  Madonna  de.Ua  sedia  of  Raphael,  another  Ma 
donna  of  Sassoferrato,  and  a  scene  from  the  deluge  of  Poussin. 
We  spent  the  evening  with  Mr.  Ritchie,  and  became  acquainted 
with  his  lady,  and  also  with  the  widow  of  General  Humphreys, 
adjutant  of  General  Washington,  and  formerly  ambassador  of  the 
United  States  to  Lisbon  and  Madrid.  Mrs.  Humphreys  is  de 
scended  from  an  English  family,  was  born  in  Lisbon,  and  must 
have  been  very  handsome  in  her  youth.  Mr.  Otis  and  his  son 
were  also  present.  When  we  departed  at  nine  o'clock,  it  was  still 
very  warm,  and  the  full  moon  looked  like  a  glowing  coal  in  the 
heated  atmosphere.  The  Pallas  arrived  at  Boston  towards  even 
ing,  and  cast  anchor  near  Long- wharf.  In  passing  she  saluted 
Fort  Independence  with  seventeen  guns,  and  was  answered  by 
eighteen. 

I  had  imagined  that  no  one  would  take  the  least  notice  of  me 
in  America,  but  I  soon  found  myself  agreeably  disappointed. 
The  morning  after  my  arrival  I  received  an  invitation  to  dine  the 
next  day  with  Mr.  Otis,  and  wras  visited  at  the  same  time  by  se 
veral  gentlemen.  Captain  Henderson  and  Mr.  Dixon,  among 
others,  called  upon  me;  the  latter  introduced  me  to  his  wife  and 
his  father-in-law,  Mr.  Homer.  This  gentleman  inhabits  a  large 
and  handsome  house  on  Beacon-hill,  and  has  two  amiable  daugh 
ters.  I  was  much  pleased  with  the  arrangement  of  this  house, 
and  indeed  the  houses  and  chambers  in  general  are  larger  and 
better  adapted  for  convenience  and  ease  than  the  English. 

In  company  with  Mr.  Ritchie  I  paid  a  visit  to  Mrs.  Hum 
phreys,  whose  house  is  really  splendidly  furnished.  In  the  even 
ing  I  visited  Mr.  De  Wallenstein,  attached  to  the  Russian  em 
bassy  at  Washington,  who  resides  here  during  the  summer,  on 
account  of  his  health.  He  is  an  agreeable  and  reflecting  man. 
Afterwards  I  visited  Mr.  Edward  Everett,  professor  of  the  Greek 


36 

language  in  Harvard  University.  Mr.  Everett  had  previously 
written  me  a  German  letter,  and  offered  me  his  services  in  an  ex 
tremely  friendly  manner.  He  has  passed  five  years  in  Europe, 
during  two  of  which  he  studied  at  Goettingen,  and  also  visited 
Weimar.  He  remembered  this  with  much  pleasure,  and  was 
particularly  pleased  with  the  acquaintance  of  St.  M.  v.  Goethe. 
Having  been  elected  a  member  of  congress  he  resigned  his  pro 
fessorship. 

Mr.  Everett  called  for  me  the  next  day  to  take  me  to  Harvard 
University,  at  Cambridge,  three  miles  distant  from  Boston.  At 
twelve  o'clock  we  left  Boston,  though  the  heat  was  extreme,  and 
rode  over  the  wooden  bridge  which  connects  both  towns,  and  is 
three  thousand  four  hundred  feet  long.  Cambridge  is  by  no 
means  compactly  built,  but  occupies  a  large  extent  of  ground. 
The  houses  are  generally  frame,  a  few  of  brick,  and  very  few 
entirely  of  granite;  they  are  however  painted  with  bright  colours 
and  are  very  pleasing  to  the  eye.  Every  house  has  a  garden. 
Many  meadows,  like  those  in  England,  are  enclosed  with  three 
rails,  lying  one  above  the  other;  Indian  corn  is  cultivated  in  the 
fields;  the  grass  was  dry  and  withered. 

Harvard  University,  one  of  the  oldest  colleges  in  the  United 
States,  was  founded  in  1638,  by  a  clergyman  named  Harvard,,  who 
bequeathed  it  about  eight  hundred  pounds  sterling.  By  means  of 
bequests  made  since  that  period,  it  has  now  a  very  large  income. 
The  state  of  Massachusetts  supplies  the  deficiencies  without  how 
ever  making  any  fixed  contribution.  The  university  has  eight 
buildings,  chiefly  of  brick,  and  only  one  of  granite.  The  Unita 
rian  chapel  is  in  the  latter,  in  which,  besides  the  usual  services  on 
Sunday,  morning  and  evening  prayers  are  held,  which  all  the 
students  must  attend.  In  front  of  the  buildings  is  a  large  space, 
surrounded  with  trees,  where  the  students  may  amuse  themselves. 
The  students  are  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  in  number,  and 
principally  board  and  lodge  in  the  buildings  of  the  university;  a 
number,  however,  who  cannot  find  room,  or  are  recommended  to 
families,  live  in  private  houses.  They  are  in  other  respects,  as 
in  the  universities  of  England,  subjected  to  a  very  rigid  discipline. 
The  library,  which  occupies  two  halls,  contains  about  eighteen 
thousand  volumes.  It  contains  the  first  edition  of  the  large  work 
on  Egypt;  a  Polyglot  bible  from  the  collection  of  Lord  Claren 
don;  a  splendid  edfckmof  the  Lusiad,  by  Camoens,  with  plates  from 

f  designs  of  Gerard,  edited  by  the  Marquis  de  Souza,  and  print 
ed  by  Didot  at  Pans.  Only  two  hundred  and  fifty  copies  of  this 

lition  were  printed,  and  this  copy  was  given  to  the  university 
by  the  Marquis  himself.  Of  manuscripts  I  saw  but  few,  and  these 
were  Greek,  which  Mr.  Everett  bought  at  Constantinople  during 
his  travels,  and  another  containing  the  aphorisms  of  Hippocrates, 


which  an  English  schoolmaster  copied  with  so  much  skill,  that  it 
appears  to  have  been  printed.  *  In  the  mathematical  lecture  room 
I  did  not  observe  a  very  complete  apparatus.  They  have  also  but 
few  astronomical  instruments,  and  in  one  observatory  there  are 
none.  A  new  electrical  machine  with  a  glass  globe  had  but  lately 
arrived  from  England.  The  mineralogical  collection  is  under 
obligations  to  Mr.  Ritchie  for  most  of  its  finest  specimens,  which 
he  bought  during  his  travels  at  Dresden,  and  presented  to  the  uni- 
•f  ersity.  A  piece  of  basalt  found  under  ground  in  this  neighbour 
hood,  bears  some  similarity  to  the  profile  of  a  human  face.  It  is 
not  known  whether  it  be  a  lusus  nature  or  the  work  of  human 
hands.  Does  this  belong  to  the  remains  of  an  earlier  race  of  men 
which  has  vanished  from  the  earth,  but  which  has,  not  without 
reason,  been  supposed  by  many  to  have  once  existed?  The  other 
natural  collections  were  of  slight  importance;  there  are  no  collec 
tions  of  insects  and  butterflies.  I  saw  there  also  the  antlers  of 
two  stags,  which  had  become  so  completely  entangled  in  fighting, 
that  they  could  not  be  separated,  and  in  this  state  they  were 
killed.  The  chemical  laboratory  is  arranged  in  a  separate  house, 
strongly  resembling  a  chapel.  The  anatomical  theatre  has  been 
removed  for  want  of  room,  from  Cambridge  to  Boston.  In  the 
former  lecture  room,  however,  there  are  still  several  handsome 
wax  preparations  made  in  Florence,  among  which  are  two  fine 
full  length  figures,  male  and  female.  The  latter  represents  a  preg 
nant  woman,  and  is  separable.  Near  the  chapel  is  the  assembly 
room  of  the  academical  senate,  where  there  are  some  very  hand 
some  engravings.  I  was  surprised  to  find  among  these  engravings 
the  defence  of  Gibraltar,  by  Elliot,  and  one  which  represented 
Admiral  Dewinter  taken  prisoner  by  Admiral  Duncan.  I  gave 
the  attendant  who  conducted  us  two  dollars,  and  he  seemed  to  be 
so  much  gratified  by  my  generosity,  that  when  we  were  in  the 
chapel  he  whispered  to  the  organist,  who  immediately  played 
"  God  save  the  king,"  at  which  I  was  much  surprised.  We  were 
escorted  through  the  botanic  garden  by  Professor  Nuttall,  an 
Englishman,  who  has  made  several  scientific  journeys  in  the 
western  parts  of  the  United  States.  Among  the  green-house 
plants  I  observed  a  strelitzia,  which  had  been  raised  from  seed  in 
this  country,  and  also  a  blooming  and  handsome  Inua  gloriosa, 
and  a  Hedychium  longifolium.  The  green-house  and  the  garden 
are  both  small;  in  the  latter  I  remarked  no  extraordinary  shrubs 
or  flowers,  on  the  contrary,  however,  I  saw  many  beetles,  which 

[*  This  manuscript  is  perhaps  one  of  the  most  curious  specimens  of  calligra 
phy  extant.  Without  the  aid  of  a  microscope  it  is  almost  impossible  to  disco 
ver  that  it  is  not  a  printed  work,  so  extremely  uniform  and  accurate  is  every 
letter.  We  believe  it  was  originally  prepared  for  the  celebrated  Dr.  Richard 
Meade  of  London. — TRANS.] 


38 

were  new  to  me,  with  bright  colours,  and  extremely  beautiful 
butterflies.  A  son  of  President  Adams  is  one  of  the  students  of 
the  university,  and  also  Mr.  Jerome  Bonaparte,  a  legitimate  son 
of  the  former  king  'of  Westphalia,  by  his  marriage  with  Miss 
Patterson  of  Baltimore,  which  marriage,  as  is  well  known,  was 
dissolved  by  the  Emperor  Napoleon.  This  young  man,  who  is 
about  twenty  years  old,  bears  an  excellent  character. 

My  acquaintances  increased  in  number,  and  I  received  visits 
from  many  distinguished  men.  Among  those  who  paid  me  this 
honour  on  the  third  day  after  my  arrival,  I  must  mention  the 
Danish  ambassador,  Mr.  Pedersen,  who  was  travelling  with  his 
family  in  the  northern  parts  of  the  United  States,  and  was  intro 
duced  to  me  by  Mr.  Ritchie;  Mr.  Josiah  Quincy,  mayor  of  the 
city,  was  also  present,  a  worthy  and  extremely  agreeable  man,  to 
whom  I  am  under  great  obligations. 

After  the  gentlemen  had  withdrawn,  I  visited  the  New  Eng 
land  Museum,  a  very  pompous  description  of  which  had  fallen 
into  my  hands.  This  museum  is  a  private  establishment,  and  con 
sists  of  a  mixture  of  wax  figures,  musical  clocks,  stuffed  animals, 
portraits,  French  caricatures,  butterflies,  &c.  Two  articles  alone 
interested  me,  namely,  two  living  rattlesnakes,  and  three  Egyp 
tian  mummies.  The  snakes,  caught  near  Lake  Erie,  were  lying 
in  a  box  covered  with  glass,  and  received  no  nourishment  but 
water.  They  are  ugly  creatures,  of  a  dark  gray  colour,  with  large 
sharp  scales  and  yellow  bellies.  Large  thick  heads,  prominent 
black  eyes,  and  forked  tongues.  One  of  them,  which  was  engaged 
in  casting  its  skin,  was  for  the  time  blind;  it  had  four  rattles,  and 
was  receiving  a  fifth.  The  attendant  irritated  it,  but  we  did  not 
hear  it  rattle.  Spirit  of  hartshorn  is  said  to  be  very  effectual 
against  their  bite.  The  mummies  were  brought  last  year  in  an 
American  vessel  from  Egypt.  One  was  in  the  same  condition  in 
which  it  had  been  when  in  the  coffin,  except  that  the  cloth  had 
been  taken  from  the  face.  The  two  others  were  more  or  less  un 
covered;  their  coffins  were  well  preserved.  I  was  astonished  to 
see  the  fresh  colours  of  the  figures  painted  on  them.  One  of  the 
mummies  had  two  coffins,  whence  it  is  inferred  that  she  was  a 
person  of  high  rank.  I  saw  also  a  Chinese  painting,  representing 
all  the  tortures  and  modes  of  death  common  in  China;  a  shocking 
and  disgusting  sight  Finally,  I  observed  a  good  model  of  the 
old  bastile  of  Paris,  made  of  a  stone  from  this  building. 

The  mayor,  Mr.  Quincy,  had  the  politeness  to  show  us  the 
state  prison.  This  is  situated  in  Charlestown,  is  of  granite,  and 
was  built  about  twenty  years  ago  at  the  expense  of  the  state  of 
Massachusetts.  It  consists  of  a  centre  building,  containing  the 
dwelling  and  offices  of  the  superintendant,  as  well  as  the  watch- 
room,  and  of  two  wings,  where  the  prisoners  are  lodged.  Behind 


39 

the  building  is  a  large  yard  where  the  prisoners  work.  It  is  en 
closed  by  a  high  wall,  with  palisades,  which  is  guarded  day  and 
night  by  several  sentinels.  The  prisoners  are  chiefly  employed 
in  cutting  and  polishing  blocks  of  granite,  which  are  used  in  Bos 
ton  and  its  vicinity.  The  punishment  of  every  prisoner  who  is 
sufficiently  robust,  commences  with  this  hard  labour,  which,  how 
ever,  is  changed  if  his  conduct  merits  it,  or  if  he  exhibits  abilities 
for  some  other  employment.  As  stone-cutter,  a  daily  task  is  as 
signed  to  him,  which,  if  not  finished,  or  badly  done,  is  followed 
by  solitary  confinement.  If  he  performs  more  than  his  task,  he  is 
paid  for  the  surplus.  Of  this  sum  he  can  dispose  as  he  pleases 
when  discharged.  Newly-arrived  prisoners,  and  those  who  have 
conducted  themselves  badly,  are  dressed  in  green  and  blue,  when, 
however,  they  conduct  themselves  properly  again,  they  are  freed 
from  this  distinguishing  habit.  Other  prisoners  work  at  various 
trades;  supplying  at  the  same  time  their  mutual  wants,  as  shoes, 
&c.  An  engraver  who  was  imprisoned  for  counterfeiting  Nova 
Scotia  bank  notes,  worked  in  a  separate  room,  and  engraved 
very  neat  maps.  Four  prisoners  sleep  in  one  cell,  which  are  all 
tolerably  well  ventilated,  and  every  prisoner  has  his  own  ham 
mock.  Black  bread  and  soup  constitute  the  food  of  the  prisoners, 
who  receive  besides  for  breakfast  and  supper,  a  portion  of  syrup 
and  flour,  forming  a  kind  of  pudding.  Besides  the  usual  service 
on  Sunday,  they  have  prayers  daily. 

A  report  of  the  state  of  the  prison  from  September  30,  1823, 
to  September  30,  1824,  which  was  published  by  the  warden,  Mr. 
Thomas  Harris,  contains  the  following  results: — 

The  whole  number  of  prisoners  from  1805  to  September  30, 
1824,  was  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  sixteen;  of  these 
there  were  thirteen  hundred  and  three  dismissed,  after  the 
period  of  their  punishment  had  expired ;  two  hundred  and 
ninety-eight  were  pardoned;  fifteen  escaped;  one  hundred  and 
two  died ;  two  hundred  and  ninety-eight  remained ;  of  the 
thirteen  hundred  and  three  who  were  dismissed,  two  hundred 
and  thirteen  were  a  second  time  in  prison  for  new  crimes,  and 
among  these  two  hundred  and  thirteen  there  were  twenty-four 
who  had  been  pardoned. 

On  the  30th  of  September,  1823,  there  were  three  hundred  and 
eight  prisoners ;  of  these  eighty  were  dismissed,  ten  pardoned, 
six  died,  and,  consequently,  two  hundred  and  twelve  remained. 
To  these  eighty-six  had  been  added,  so  that  the  number  of  pri 
soners  amounted,  September  30th,  1824,  to  two  hundred  and 
ninety-eight,  as  was  mentioned  above.  Among  these  there  were 
only  three  females. 

Of  these  two  hundred  and  ninety-eight,  there  were  fifty-four 


40 

black  or  coloured  people,  and  fifty-nine  white  foreigners,  viz. 
thirteen* Englishmen,  seventeen  Irishmen,  eight  Scotchmen,  four 
from  Nova  Scotia,  two  Canadians,  one  from  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope,  three  West  Indians,  four  Frenchmen,  two  Swedes,  two 
Italians,  one  from  Green  Cape,  one  Portuguese,  one  German. 

Two  hundred  and  twenty-two  were  sentenced  for  stealing, 
twenty -six  for  passing  counterfeit  money,  sixteen  for  burglary, 
seven  for  attempted  rape,  six  for  attempting  to  murder,  five  for 
being  incendiaries,  eleven  for  forgery,  and  five,  among  whom 
were  the  three  females,  for  robbery. 

The  prisoners  are  employed  in  different  occupations;  one 
hundred  and  twenty-one  were  stone-cutters,  twenty-seven  for 
removing  the  stone,  thirty  joiners,  eleven  brush  makers,  eight 
weavers,  six  shoemakers,  ten  tailors,  &c.  There  were  eleven  in 
the  hospital,  four  in  solitary  confinement,  and  three  invalids. 

The  expenses  of  the  prison  amounted  to  forty-one  thousand 
six  hundred  and  ninety-five  dollars  for  the  maintenance  of  the 
prisoners,  clothes,  beds,  medicine,  and  materials  employed  in  the 
labours  of  the  prisoners;  and  fifteen  thousand  nine  hundred  and 
twenty-six  dollars  for  the  officers,  &c.  Total  of  expenses,  fifty- 
seven  thousand  six  hundred  and  twenty-two  dollars. 

The  income  derived  from  the  labours  of  the  prisoners  amount 
ed  to  fifty-eight  thousand  eight  hundred  and  thirty-four  dollars, 
and  thus  the  prison  was  not  only  of  no  expense  to  the  state,  but 
produced  a  profit  of  twelve  hundred  and  twelve  dollars ! 

After  leaving  this  remarkable  building,  the  mayor  accompani 
ed  us  to  Cambridge.  A  company  of  volunteers  from  Boston,  the 
Washington  Rangers,  were  training.  The  company  were  already 
departing  when  we  arrived,  but  had  the  politeness  to  halt  and  re 
peat  their  exercise  again.  They  exhibited  much  skill.  They  arc 
somewhat  fantastically  dressed  in  green,  and  armed  with  long 
rifles.  I  became  acquainted  with  the  officers,  who  were  all  young 
men  of  the  best  families.  I  also  spoke  with  several  Cambridge 
students,  some  of  whom  were  dressed  in  a  uniform,  belonging  to 
a  volunteer  company,  consisting  of  students  alone. 

We  then  went  to  Bunker's  Hill,  near  Charlestown.  The  space 
is  small,  but  of  great  importance  in  American  history.  Connect 
ed  with  the  main  land  by  a  bridge,  this  field  of  battle  lies  on  a 
small  island  and  has  two  hills,  the  higher  and  most  northern  of 
which  is  called  Bunker's  Hill;  the  southern,  Breed's  Hill,  com 
mands  Charlestown  and  the  Boston  Roads.  In  the  year  1775, 
the  Americans  occupied  this  hill,  and  with  their  artillery,  which 
was  placed  tn  a  redoubt  hastily  thrown  up,  harassed  the  English 
garrison  fn  Boston,  and  the  fleet.  On  the  morning  of  the*  17th 
of  June,  the  English  made  a  sally,  left  Boston,  landed  on  a  point 


41 

cast  of  the  redoubt,  where  the  Americans  had  left  too  weak 
a  defence,  formed  their  columns,  whilst  the  artillery  in  Boston 
set  Charlestown  on  fire,  and  attacked  the  redoubt.  This  was  so 
well  defended,  that  the  English  were  twice  obliged  to  retreat 
with  very  great  loss.  In  one  of  these  unsuccessful  attacks,  the  Eng 
lish  Major  Pitcairn,  who  shortly  before  had  commanded  the  Eng 
lish  advance  guard  at  the  affair  of  Lexington,  was  shot  by  an 
American  sharp  shooter,  who  still  lives,  at  the  moment  when  he 

shouted  to  his  soldiers  not  to  be  "afraid  of  these  d d  rebels, 

which  were  nothing  but  a  crowd  of  grasshoppers. " 

But  the  English  received  reinforcements,  and  renewed  the  at 
tack.  The  Americans,  on  the  contrary,  had  expended  their  am 
munition,  and  the  shot  sent  to  them  from  Cambridge,  the  head 
quarters  of  General  Lee,  were  too  large  for  the  calibre  of  their 
pieces.  They  could  obtain  no  assistance,  as  an  English  man  of 
war  kept  up  a  fierce  fire  upon  the  bridge,  the  only  means  of  com 
munication  with  the  main  land.  They  determined,  therefore,  to 
evacuate  the  redoubt,  and  they  effected  it,  though  with  great  loss. 
At  this  time  an  English  officer  shot  Dr.  WARREN,  one  of  the 
most  distinguished  American  patriots,  who  shortly  before  had 
been  appointed  general,  by  congress.  The  English  did  not  pur 
sue  the  Americans  farther  than  Bunker's  Hill,  but  returned  dur 
ing  the  night  to  Boston.  The  remains  of  the  redoubt  are  still 
seen,  and  on  the  17th  of  June  last,  the  corner  stone  of  a  monu 
ment  was  laid,  which  is  to  be  an  obelisk  two  hundred  and  ten  feet 
high.  One  hundred  and  thirty  veterans  were  present  at  this  ce 
remony,  the  last  of  the  seventeen  hundred  Americans  who  had 
participated  in  this  affair. 

Finally,  Mr.  Quincy  introduced  us,  in  Charlestown,  to  a  ma 
jor  of  militia,  who  devotes  much  of  his  attention  to  rural  eco 
nomy,  and  to  the  breeding  of  cattle  and  horses.  His  whole 
establishment  was  interesting.  The  major  showed  us,  parti 
cularly,  a  noble  English  bull,  from  which  he  had  raised  very 
handsome  and  strong  calves,  and  also  a  fine  English  stallion,  ten 
years  old. 

In  these  peregrinations  I  made  inquiries  after  Miss  Wright, 
who,  some  years  ago,  published  letters  on  America,  which  excit 
ed  much  attention  in  Europe,  as  well  as  in  America.  I  was  told 
that  this  lady  with  her  sister,  unattended  by  a  male  protector, 
had  roved  through  the  country,  in  steam-boats  and  stages,  that 
she  constantly  tagged  about  after  General  La  Fayettc,  and  when 
ever  the  general  arrived  at  any  place,  Miss  Wright  was  sure  to 
follow  next  day;  as  but  little  notice  had  been  taken  of  this  lady 
in  Boston,  a  literary  attack  was  expected  from  her  pen.  She 
is  no  longer  young,  and  is  of  tall  stature  and  masculine  man- 

VOL.  I.  6 


42 

ners.  In  general,  her  letters  are  not  much  esteemed,  and  the 
flattering  terms  in  which  she  speaks  of  Americans  and  all  their 
institutions,  are  regarded  as  overstrained.* 

On  the  30th  of  July  I  went  on  board  the  Pallas  to  attend  to  the 
unloading  of  my  baggage.  I  remained  there  a  few  hours,  as  I 
found  it  cooler  on  board  than  on  shore.  The  vessel  was  as  they 
.siid,  full  of  visitors  all  day,  for  Captain  Ryk,  with  his  usual  libe 
rality,  denied  access  to  no  one  of  genteel  appearance.  Citizens 
are  by  no  means  allowed  to  visit  American  vessels  of  war,  unless 
they  are  known  to  an  officer,  and  on  this  account  the  curiosity  of 
the  inhabitants  of  this  place  to  see  a  foreign  vessel  of  war  is 
great. 

When  I  returned  to  the  city,  I  visited  Mr.  Quincy,  who  took 
me  to  the  Court-house  to  see  the  arsenal  of  the  thirteen  volunteer 
companies  of  this  place.  One  of  these  companies  has  been  orga 
nized  ever  since  1638;  all  of  these  consist  of  young  men  of  good 
families,  who  do  not  wish  to  serve  in  the  same  companies  with 
the  common  crowd,  but  have  united,  and,  in  elegant  uniforms, 
compose  the  flank  companies  of  the  battalions  of  militia.  A  large 
hall  in  the  Court-house  is  appropriated  for  their  exercises,  when 
the  weather  is  inclement.  Every  company  consists  of  about  sixty 
men.  The  greater  number  of  the  companies  are  armed  like  in 
fantry,  with  bayonets  according  to  the  English  mode,  and  the  ri 
flemen  alone  with  rifles.  Not  only  the  arms  of  the  company,  but 
the  swords  of  the  officers  are  kept  in  the  chambers  of  the  Court 
house. 

From  the  Court-house,  Mr.  Quincy  took  me  to  the  Athenaeum, 
where  the  principal  journals  of  the  United  States  are  found,  and 
a  library  of  about  twenty  thousand  volumes,  which  were  partly 
presented  and  partly  purchased.  A  regular  librarian  showed  us 
every  thing;  we  noticed  particularly  several  interesting  medals, 
and  the  collection  made  by  Thomasson  in  Birmingham,  which 
represents  the  Elgin  marbles.  In  the  vestibule  of  the  house,  and 
in  the  large  reading  room,  are  plaster  busts,  which  Lawyer  Thorn- 
dike  brought  from  Rome  and  presented  to  the  Athenaeum.  The 
handsome  house  itself,  which  is  valued  at  twenty  thousand  dol 
lars,  was  given  to  the  society  by  Mr.  Perkins,  a  brother  of  the 
celebrated  mechanician  in  London. 

Some  days  later,  August  2,  Mr.  Quincy  had  the  politeness  to 
show  me  several  hospitals  of  the  city. 

•[This  "lady"  is  now  one  of  the  editors  of  a  newspaper,  published  in  the 

western  country,  devoted  to  the  especial  debasement  of  the  human  race.     She 

>dly  undertaken  to  enlighten  the  Americans  by  endeavouring  to  convince 

at  religwn  is  a  cheat,  chastity  a  dream,  and  all  who  adhere  to  the  pure 

cept  of  the  gospel  of  our  Saviour,  fools!]— TRANS 


43 

The  civil  hospital  was  founded  about  twenty  years  ago,  and  is 
a  massive  building  of  granite,  with  ten  Ionic  columns  of  the  same 
stone.  The  building,  founded  by  voluntary  subscriptions,  and 
afterwards  enriched  by  legacies,  now  supports  itself  by  the  inte 
rest  of  the  capital  and  by  fees  which  some  patients  pay.  The 
administration  of  the  hospitals  and  other  benevolent  institutions, 
is  conducted,  without  charge,  by  the  principal  inhabitants,  in  a 
very  correct  and  economical  manner.  The  house  has  a  cellar,  two 
stories  besides  a  ground  floor, and  may  contain  about  eighty  sick  of 
both  sexes,  which  are  placed  in  different  wings  of  the  building. 
There  were  at  that  time  fifty-six  patients,  under  the  care  of  six 
nurses  and  a  matron.  The  house  is  under  the  direction  of  a 
steward,  who  is  at  the  same  time  a  physician.  Those  patients 
who  pay  ten  dollars  a  week,  occupy  separate  chambers,  with  se 
parate  attendants;  others  pay  only  three  dollars  a  week,  and 
many  nothing  at  all.  The  latter  are  all  in  the  same  halls,  which, 
however,  are  very  light  and  well  ventilated.  The  sick  sleep  on 
beds  of  hard  wood,  with  good  hair  mattresses  and  very  fine  bed 
clothes.  The  steps  are  of  granite,  the  halls  and  chambers  arc 
planked,  and  the  floors  are  painted  with  oil  colours.  I  have  seen 
many  hospitals,  but  none  in  which  the  sick  were  so  conveniently 
and  suitably  lodged,  and  none  in  which  cleanliness  was  so  well 
observed.  The  kitchen  and  wash-house  are  in  the  cellar.  In  the 
former,  the  victuals  are  cooked  by  means  of  steam,  and  the  latter 
is  arranged  like  that  in  the  Plymouth  Marine  Hospital,  namely, 
with  very  large  wooden  frames  to  dry  the  clothes.  The  session 
room  of  the  directors,  the  anatomical  theatre,  with  some  cham 
bers  for  sick,  are  in  the  first  story;  the  dwelling  of  the  matron, 
and  the  remainder  of  the  chambers  for  patients,  are  arranged  in 
the  second  story.  Two  reservoirs  of  water,  which  may  be  rais 
ed  by  pumps,  should  a  fire  break  out,  are  situated  on  the  ground 
floor.  Mr.  Coolidge,  one  of  the  directors,  accompanied  us,  and 
conducted  us  also  to  the  lunatic  asylum,  which  is  under  the  same 
directors. 

This  building  stands  on  an  eminence  between  Cambridge  and 
Charlestown.  A  farm-house  has  been  purchased  in  the  neigh 
bourhood,  which  serves  as  the  dwelling  of  the  steward  and  head 
physician,  as  wrell  as  for  a  kitchen  and  wash-house.  Behind  this 
house  two  very  solid  wings  have  been  built,  three  stories  high, 
one  for  males,  and  the  other  for  females.  They  somewhat  re 
semble  prisons,  but  are  concealed  by  the  farm-house,  which  has  a 
very  pleasing  aspect,  and  thus  prevents  the  unpleasant  sensations 
which  the  institution  would  otherwise  excite  in  the  minds  of  the 
unhappy  lunatics  when  they  first  approach  it.  A  large  garden, 
surrounded  with  a  wall,  is  attached  to  each  wing,  serving  as  a 
place  of  recreation  for  the  patients.  A  well-lighted  corridor  runs 


44 

along  each  story,  at  each  side  of  which  are  the  doors  of  the  cells; 
in  these  nothing  is  placed  hut  a  wooden  bedstead,  as  in  the  hospital. 
Every  story  has  an  eating  room,  and  a  common  hall ;  in  the  latter, 
in  which  the  sick  may  pass  the  day,  a  table  is  placed  with  benches, 
which  are  nailed  to  the  floor.  The  infuriated  are  placed  in  soli 
tary  cells,  and  when  they  cannot  be  subdued,  are  brought  under 
a  cold  shower  bath.  The  chambers  are  heated,  as  in  the  hospi 
tals,  by  means  of  flues.  In  this  asylum  also,  in  which  there  were 
forty  patients,  the  greatest  cleanliness  prevailed. 

On  the  3d  of  August,  Mr.  Quincy  called  for  me  at  twelve 
o'clock,  to  introduce  me,  with  Captain  Ryk  and  Mr.  Tromp,  to 
the  elder  Mr.  Adams,  father  of  the  present  president.  This 
worthy  old  man,  who  was  ninety  years  old,  and  a  signer  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  lives  ten  miles  from  Boston,  on 
his  farm  at  Quincy,  revered  by  his  family,  and  honoured  by  the 
whole  nation,  who  regard  him  as  their  common  father.  I  was 
much  affected  when,  as  I  approached  this  venerable  man  who  had 
so  efficiently  laboured  in  the  cause  of  American  independence,  he 
extended  to  me  his  hand.  He  was  still  in  full  possession  of  his 
mental  faculties,  and  remembered,  not  only  the  things  which  had 
occurred  long  ago,  but  knew  also  every  thing  which  had  recently 
taken  place,  or  was  now  passing.  His  bodily  strength,  however, 
was  diminishing,  and  he  felt  a  weakness,  particularly  in  his  legs. 
He  conversed  with  me  about  half  an  hour,  especially  concerning 
Holland,  where  he  had  been  ambassador  during  the  revolution, 
and  the  features  of  his  ancient  countenance  revived  again  as  he 
dwelt  on  the  fact,  that  it  was  owing  to  him  that  Holland  then  de 
clared  war  against  England,  and  the  English  ambassador,  notwith 
standing  all  his  intrigues,  could  effect  nothing.  When  Mr. 
Tromp  was  introduced  to  him,  he  remembered  his  great  ances 
tor,  shook  his  hand  in  a  friendly  manner,  was  much  affected, 
and  said  to  him,  "  God  bless  you,  Van  Tromp!"  We  left  this 
worthy  old  man  in  deep  emotion,  and  congratulated  each  other 
on  our  good  fortune  in  having  been  introduced  to  this  departing 
veteran  of  a  revolution,  which  may  well  be  called  salutary. 

In  his  house  we  saw  several  good  portraits  and  busts  of  him, 
portraits  of  his  wife,  who  died  seven  years  ago,  of  his  son,  the 
president,  and  of  General  Warren,  who  fell  at  Bunker's  Hill. 
We  saw  also  a  son  of  President  J.  Q.  Adams,  who  is  a  lawyer  at 
Boston,  and  with  whom  I  became  acquainted  some  days  ago  in 
the  Athenaeum. 

From  Boston  to  Quincy  there  is  a  good  turnpike  road.  It  runs 
over  some  hills,  on  which  the  traveller  sees  a  handsome  panora 
ma;  behind  him  the  city,  on  the  left  the  bay,  in  front  a  well-cul 
tivated  region  with  handsome  farms,  on  the  right  the  Blue  Hills. 
We  passed  by  several  neat  farm-houses;  the  grounds  are  separated 


45 

by  means  of  dry  walls,  the  stones  of  which  are  partly  hewn,  and 
separated  from  each  other,  somewhat  like  those  of  Scotland.  No 
old  trees  are  found,  because  the  first  settlers  very  imprudently 
destroyed  all  the  wood,  and  now  it  must  be  raised  again  with 
much  trouble.  Lombardy  poplars,  and  plane  trees  are  frequent. 
The  inhabitants  generally  appear  to  be  in  good  circumstances,  at 
least  the  farmers  seem  to  prosper,  and  the  houses  appear  to  great 
advantage,  for  instance,  we  remarked  a  common  village  black 
smith  shop,  which  was  built  of  massive  granite.  At  the  very 
neat  village  of  Miltonbridge  we  passed  over  the  river  Neponset, 
which  is  navigable  for  small  vessels. 

Quincy  contains  about  four  thousand  inhabitants,  and  has  as 
sumed  this  name  in  honour  of  the  mayor's  family,  which  is  here 
much  beloved  and  esteemed.  Mr.  Quincy's  country  seat,  to 
which  we  repaired  from  the  house  of  the  ex-president,  is  about 
two  miles  distant  from  the  latter,  and  lies  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  the  sea  on  a  small  eminence,  from  which  there  is  a  very  hand 
some  prospect  towards  the  bay.  Mr.  Quincy  introduced  us  to  his 
family,  to  his  wife,  two  sons,  and  four  daughters.  The  eldest 
daughter  is  very  accomplished,  and  excels  in  painting  landscapes 
in  sepia.  Some  years  ago  she  visited  the  Falls  of  Niagara  with 
her  family,  and  sketched  several  views.  The  other  daughters  are 
also  very  well  educated,  and  have  a  talent  for  music.  We  met 
here  several  gentlemen  from  Boston,  among  others,  Mr.  Shep 
herd,  Mr.  Everett,  and  President  Kirkland,  from  Cambridge, 
who  was  accompanied  by  an  aged  English  teacher,  Mr.  Cooper, 
who  fled  from  England  with  PRIESTLEY,  thirty-five  years  ago, 
and  now  directs  Columbia  College  in  South  Carolina.  He  ap 
peared  to  be  a  gloomy,  austere  man,  and  very  different  in  his  ad 
dress  from  the  humane  and  friendly  manner  of  Dr.  Kirkland. 
Towards  evening  we  returned  to  Boston  by  a  shorter  road,  and 
passed  the  Neponset  by  means  of  a  long  wooden  bridge,  which 
Mr.  Quincy  built  not  far  from  the  place  where  it  empties  into 
the  sea.  We  then  passed  through  Dorchester,  and  saw  on  an  emi 
nence  to  the  right  the  remains  of  two  redoubts,  built  by  the  Eng 
lish,  which  the  great  Washington  took  from  them,  strengthened, 
and  thus  principally  contributed  to  the  evacuation  of  Boston. 

I  accompanied,  August  4th,  a  party  to  a  Mr.  Nathaniel  Amory ; 
we  passed  over  the  long  mill-dam,  which  cuts  off  a  part  of  the 
water  surrounding  Boston,  and  is  to  be  filled  up  in  time,  and 
houses  built  on  it.  Six  miles  from  the  city  is  a  wooden  bridge 
over  Charles  river,  which  we  crossed  to  see  the  arsenal  on  the  op 
posite  side.  This  establishment  was  built  in  1816.  A  long  yard, 
surrounded  with  a  wall  of  granite,  is  attached  to  the  chief  arsenal, 
which  is  tfyree  stories  high,  with  two  wings,  containing  the  offices 
and  dwellings  of  the  two  directors,  Major  Craige  and  Lieutenant 


46 

Van  Nessen.  The  workshops  of  the  different  mechanics,  be- 
longing  to  the  arsenal,  are  arranged  behind  this  building,  on  each 
side  of  the  yard;  at  a  short  distance  from  the  arsenal  stands 
tlio  powder  magazine,  built  of  granite,  and  containing  about  fifty 
thousand  pounds;  thirty  thousand  stands  of  arms  are  contained  in 
the  arsenal  in  chests,  each  holding  twenty  pieces.  I  saw  there  a 
newly-invented  machine  for  casting  a  hundred  and  sixty-two  balls 
at  once,  giving  them  at  the  same  time  a  perfectly  round  form.  The 
arsenal  is  very  pleasantly  situated  in  Watertown. 

We  passed  farther  along  the  shore,  through  a  romantic  part  of 
the  country,  towards  Waltham.  At  this  place  a  branch  of  a  large 
cotton  manufactory  is  situated,  belonging  to  a  company  of  twenty- 
five  persons.  It  is  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Jackson,  who  pos 
sesses  a  very  handsome  dwelling,  where  he  appears  to  pass  a  hap 
py  life  with  his  amiable  family.  About  four  hundred  and  fifty 
workmen  are  employed,  who  live  in  different  buildings  belonging 
to  the  factory,  and  form  a  particular  colony;  they  have  two 
schools,  a  church,  and  a  clergyman.  They  appear  to  be  in  very 
good  circumstances,  as  the  dress,  cleanly  exterior,  and  healthy  ap 
pearance  of  the  workmen  testify.  In  these  buildings  the  cotton 
is  spun  and  woven;  but  the  colouring  and  printing  are  performed 
in  another  establishment.  The  machines  are  worked  by  water, 
which  is  said  not  to  freeze  in  winter,  but  sometimes  fails  in  dry 
summers.  More  simple  machines  than  Jennys  are  used  for  spin 
ning,  and  the  dressing  machines  are  different  from  those  in  the 
Netherlands,  though  not  better,  I  believe,  as  they  have  but  one 
cylinder.  The  weaving  machines  are  mostly  of  wood,  which  is 
very  cheap,  though  I  believe  that  our  iron  ones  are  better.  The 
workmen  of  this  factory  are,  as  I  have  since  learned,  esteemed 
on  account  of  their  good  manners,  and  their  morality  is  univer 
sally  praised.  But  one  case  of  seduction  occurred  in  ten  years. 
After  leaving  this  factory  we  passed  by  several  very  neat  houses 
and  parks;  the  latter  are  smaller  than  those  in  England,  because 
in  this  country  there  are  no  rights  of  primogeniture,  and  the  es 
tate  of  parents  at  their  death  is  divided  into  as  many  parts  as 
there  are  children.  On  this  account  we  do  not  find  such  great 
and  powerful  landholders  here  as  in  England.  It  is  a  subject  of 
dispute,  whether  primogeniture  or  equal  division  be  preferable; 
but  it  is  certain  that  real  prosperity  is  much  more  diffused  through 
the  nation  in  America,  and  the  land  is  better  cultivated. 

Mr.  Nathaniel  Amory's  country  seat  lies  on  a  small  eminence 
in  a  tolerably  large  park,  and  affords  an  extensive  prospect  of  the 
vicinity  of  Boston.  Mr.  Amory  collected  several  good  paintings 
of  the  Flemish  school  in  his  travels,  and  some  handsome  mosaic 
work  in  Rome,  with  which  his  house  is  decorated.  In  the  after 
noon  we  took  a  walk  through  the  park  to  a  cottage,  which  be- 


47 

longs  to  the  English  sea  captain,  Wormlcy,  brother-in-law  of  Mr. 
Amory,  and,  though  small,  is  very  neatly  arranged,  and  hand 
somely  situated.  A  small  lake,  called  the  Fresh  Pond,  with  its 
shady  trees,  affords  a  very  picturesque  view.  After  spending 
some  time  very  agreeably  with  his  friendly  family,  we  returned 
at  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  by  way  of  Cambridge  to  Boston. 

I  visited  the  navy-yard  on  the  '5th  August,  in  company  with 
Major  Wainwright,  of  the  marines,  and  Lieutenant  Gwynn.  In 
the  small  barracks  of  the  marines  where  we  commenced,  the 
rooms  is  not  large;  the  beds  stand  on  a  platform,  so  that  the  rooms 
are  very  narrow  and  close.  The  appearance  of  the  soldiers  was 
not  remarkable.  The  navy-yard  was  founded  only  twelve 
years  ago,  and  not  yet  completed,  but  is  very  extensive.  A  dry 
dock  has  not  yet  been  made,  but  will  be  advantageously  placed. 
The  two  line  of  battle  ships,  Columbus  and  Independence,  and 
the  frigate  Java,  were  in  ordinary.  Two  line  of  battle-ships  and 
a  corvette  were  on  the  stocks,  and  not  yet  named.  The  two 
former,  which  were  under  sheds,  were  finished,  so  that  they  could 
leave  the  stocks  as  soon  as  government  should  order.  But  as  no 
loss  was  incurred,  the  vessels  were  allowed  to  lie  on  the  stocks, 
and  under  shelter  as  long  as  possible,  that  the  wood  may  become 
still  better  seasoned.  The  sheds  are  larger  than  the  English,  and 
are  actual  houses.  The  two  vessels  are  very  modestly  called  se 
venty-fours,  but  have  each  three  decks;  the  one  pierced  for  one 
hundred  and  thirty  thirty-two  pounders,  and  the  other  for  an 
hundred  and  thirty-six,  of  the  same  caliber.  They  are  built  of 
live  oak,  and  to  prevent  the  dry  rot,  salt  is  scattered  among  the 
timbers,  which,  as  I  was  told,  was  of  great  advantage.  The  ves 
sels  are  so  high  and  roomy,  that  I  could  stand  erect  in  the  two 
lower  batteries  under  the  beams.  Some  methods  which  tend  to 
strengthen  and  relieve  vessels,  used  in  other  places,  have  not  yet 
been  adopted  here;  for  instance,  I  did  not  observe  the  cruciform 
strengthening  of  the  sides,  and  the  diagonal  deck,  according  to 
the  plan  of  Sir  Robert  Seppings,  from  which  two  improvements 
the  navies  of  England  and  the  Netherlands  derive  the  greatest 
advantage.  The  same  system  which  prevails  in  England  is  ob 
served  here,  namely,  not  to  employ  shipwrights  for  builders, 
as  in  the  Netherlands  and  in  France,  but  carpenters.  Mr.  Baker, 
the  master  shipwright  of  this  place,  with  whom  I  became  ac 
quainted,  is  considered  to  be  a  very  skilful  man. 

After  we  had  seen  the  navy-yard,  been  much  gratified  with  its 
good  condition,  and  wishing  it  might  soon  be  finished,  we  visited 
the  lady  of  the  commissioner,  Captain  Craine,  who  was  absent. 
The  commissioner's  house  belongs  to  the  government,  and  is 
placed  on  a  height  overlooking  the  navy-yard;  the  architect  who 
planned  it,  worried  the  commissioner  with  continual  questions  re- 


48 

lative  to  the  form  of  the  house,  until  finally  he  replied  in  great 

vexation,  build  it  like  my .     The  architect  took  him  at  his 

word,  and  built  it  with  two  round  projections  standing  close  to 
gether,  which  have  a  very  curious  appearance  from  the  navy- 
yard.  We  saw  in  the  navy-yard  sails  of  cotton  canvass,  which 
are  preferred  to  hempen  sails,  both  because  they  are  more  easily 
worked,  and  are  peculiarly  durable.  They  are  not,  however, 
liked  in  the  navy,  because  they  are  too  combustible,  and  on  that 
account  might  be  extremely  dangerous  to  a  vessel  during  an  ac 
tion;  they  are  therefore  used  only  for  the  higher  sails. 

On  the  next  day  Mr.  Quincy  very  politely  invited  me  to  visit 
some  of  the  public  schools,  which  are  under  his  direction.     I  ac 
cepted  this  invitation  with  much  pleasure,  for  in  a  country  like 
this,  where  the  people  govern  themselves,  without  doubt  the  pre 
vailing  spirit  may  be  best  learnt  from  the  institutions  for  public 
education.     There  are  also  at  Boston,  besides  various  private  and 
two  public  schools,  a  Latin  and  a  mathematical  school,  called  high 
schools,  which  are  both  maintained  at  the  expense  of  the  city; 
boys  of  every  class  are  admitted  without  paying  for  their  tuition.  * 
Well-informed  young  men,  who  received  good  salaries,  are  se 
lected  as  teachers.     The  first  teacher  of  the  high  school  receives 
yearly  two  thousand  five  hundred  dollars.     The  study  of  the 
ancient  languages,  the  Latin  and  Greek,  forms  the  basis  of  public 
instruction.   At  the  same  time  that  these  are  taught,  the  attention, 
acuteness,  and  memory  of  the  pupils,  arc  variously  exercised;  if, 
for  example,  any  one  recites  a  line  of  the  Eneid,  and  repeats  the 
last  letter,  another  immediately  arises,  and  repeats  from  the  same 
poem  a  line,  beginning  with  this  letter.    The  pupils  do  this  with 
wonderful  rapidity.   The  declamations  took  place  during  our  pre 
sence.   One  of  the  scholars  recited  the  speech  of  an  English  mem 
ber  of  parliament,  with  so  warm  and  correct  a  delivery,  that  the 
speech  could  scarcely  have  been  better  spoken  in  parliament.   An 
other  recited  an  oration,  in  which  the  advantages  of  a  moderate 
above  a  despotic  government,  were  also  exhibited  in  a  very  good 
and  distinct  manner.     Every  evening  the  place  of  each  scholar 
in  the  class  for  the  next  day,  is  appointed  by  the  teacher,  according 
to  the  industry  which  he  may  have  shown  during  the  day,  and 
entered  into  a  book.     At  the  end  of  the  month  judgments  are 
passed  on  all  the  pupils  according  to  this  list. 

^  *  The  expenses  of  public  instruction,  with  the  exception  of  Harvard  Univer 
sity,  are  defrayed  by  means  of  a  school  tax,  granted  by  the  representatives  of 
the  state  of  Massachusetts,  to  which  every  inhabitant  of  the  state  is  obliged  to 
contribute.  This  praiseworthy  arrangement  exists  also  in  Maine,  New  Hamp 
shire,  Vermont,  Rhode  Island,  and  Connecticut.  In  the  last  state,  moreover, 
those  parents  who  neglect  to  keep  their  children  at  school,  are  fined  five  dol 
lars  for  every  absent  child,,  which  sum  goes  into  the  school  treasury. 


49 

The  mathematical  and  physical  sciences  are  taught  in  the  high 
school;  it  possesses  a  very  good  philosophical  cabinet.  We  heard 
one  class  examined  in  arithmetic,  and  another  in  analytic  geo 
metry.  In  the  former  I  saw  that  much  attention  was  paid  to 
mental  calculation,  and  was  surprised  at  the  quick  and  correct 
solutions  of  difficult  arithmetical  questions.  In  the  higher  class 
the  teacher  proposed  a  question,  and  all  those  immediately  arose 
who  thought  they  could  answer  it.  One  was  designated  hy  the 
teacher  to  solve  it,  and  if  another  thought  the  answer  not  exactly 
correct,  he  raised  his  hand,  without  interrupting  the  first,  and 
corrected  him  when  called  upon.  I  was  pleased  both  with  the 
kind  manners  of  the  teachers,  and  the  modest,  correct,  and  easy 
deportment  of  the  scholars.  The  boys  generally  had  handsome 
faces,  and  were  all  of  an  animated  physiognomy.  With  this  they 
combine,  as  I  was  frequently  convinced,  the  greatest  respect  for 
their  parents  and  teachers.  It  appears  to  me  impossible  that  young 
people,  who  receive  so  liberal  an  education,  can  grow  up  to  be  bad 
or  malicious  men.  I  was  indeed  affected  when  I  left  the  schools, 
and  could  not  but  congratulate  Mr.  Quincy  from  the  bottom  of 
my  heart,  on  such  a  rising  generation!  Captain  Ryk,  who  accom 
panied  us,  participated  in  my  views  and  feelings. 

From  the  schools  we  went  to  the  state-house  or  capitol,  of  the 
exterior  of  which  I  have  already  spoken,  but  the  interior  arrange 
ment  I  had  not  yet  seen.  Besides  the  offices  belonging  to 
the  state  government,  it  contains  the  assembly  rooms  of  the 
three  bodies  which  govern  the  state,  the  council  of  the  governor, 
the  senate,  and  the  representatives.  These  rooms  are  spacious; 
still,  however,  it  is  evident,  that  thirty-seven  years  ago,  when 
this  building  was  erected,  every  thing  was  done  in  haste,  and 
that  architecture  had  not  then  made  the  progress  which  it  since 
has.  All  the  steps  are  of  wood.  A  trophy  is  erected  in  one  of 
the  chambers,  composed  of  Brunswick  arms,  which  were  taken 
at  the  battle  of  Saratoga.  One  hundred  and  sixty-eight  steps  lead 
to  the  lantern  of  the  cupola,  which  is  of  wood,  and  covered  with 
copper.  Notwithstanding  the  excessive  heat,  we  went  up,  and 
our  labour  was  richly  recompensed  by  a  splendid  prospect.  The 
dome  is  the  highest  point  in  the  vicinity,  and  affords  a  view  not 
only  of  the  whole  city  and  the  bay,  but  also  of  a  great  extent  of 
ground  beyond,  in  every  part  of  which  a  number  of  neat  dwel 
lings  may  be  observed. 

Thus  passed  almost  fourteen  days,  in  an  uncommonly  pleasing 
and  instructive  manner.  In  general  my  state  of  health  allowed 
me  to  enjoy  every  new  and  interesting  object  with  serenity  of 
mind;  I  was  indisposed  but  two  days,  and'  this  was  probably 
owing  to  the  excessive  heat.  Even  the  intermediate  hours,  which 
could  not  be  dedicated  to  the  inspection  of  public  institutions, 

VOL.  I.  7 


50 


cd  the  churches  on  the  Sundays  I  passed  in  Boston,  which  are 
still  more  quietly  kept  in  America  than  in  England.  The  first 
time  I  went  to  a  Unitarian  church,  attended  by  a  son  of  the 
mayor;  a  second  time  I  went  to  an  Episcopalian  church,  accom 
panied  by  Mr.  Lloyd,  a  very  distinguished  man,  and  senator  of 
the  United  States.  I  dined  twice  at  the  inn,  but  generally  ac 
cepted  some  friendly  invitation,  and  passed  all  my  evenings 
very  agreeably  in  company  at  musical  parties  and  other  enter 
tainments.  I  also  made  some  excursions  into  the  country  be 
sides  those  already  mentioned. 

The  society,  especially  when  ladies  are  not  present,  is  uncom 
monly  fine  and  lively — both  sexes  are  very  well  educated  and 
accomplished.  So  much  care  is  bestowed  upon  the  education  of 
the  female  sex,  that  it  would  perhaps  be  considered  in  other 
countries  as  superfluous.  Young  ladies  even  learn  Latin  and 
Greek,  but  then  they  also  can  speak  of  other  things  besides  fa 
shions  and  tea-table  subjects;  thus,  for  instance,  I  was  at  a  party 
of  Mrs.  General  Humphreys,  which  was  entirely  in  the  European 
style,  without  cards,  dancing  or  music,  and  yet  it  was  lively  and 
agreeable.  Thus  I  passed  some  delightful  hours  with  Mr.  Ritchie, 
Mr.  Dixon,  Mr.  Homer,  Mr.  Otis,  Mr.  Shepherd,  and  Mr.  Ar- 
tiguenave,  a  Frenchman,  formerly  an  actor  in  the  Theatre  Fran- 
gais,  at  Paris,  and  now  professor  of  the  French  language  at  Cam 
bridge  University.  Many  of  those  gentlemen  who  are  met  with 
in  such  society,  have  travelled  in  Europe,  sometimes  accompa 
nied  by  their  ladies;  Europeans  are  frequently  present,  and  thus 
there  is  no  want  of  materials  for  conversation.  The  generality 
of  the  houses,  moreover,  offer  something  attractive  in  the  fine 
arts;  and  in  returning  home  on  an  evening,  the  city,  the  bridges, 
and  the  Mill-dam  are  very  well  lighted,  not  indeed  with  gas,  but 
with  reflecting  lamps,  and  none  of  that  disorderly  conduct  is  ob 
served  in  the  streets,  which  so  often  shocks  the  mind  in  the  ci 
ties  of  England. 

We  made  an  excursion  on  the  1st  of  August  into  the  country 
with  Mr.  Dixon  in  his  dearborn.  A  dearborn  is  a  very  light  wa 
gon,  with  two  benches  and  four  wheels,  drawn  by  one  horse.  We 
rode  over  the  neck  which  unites  Boston  with  the  main  land,  and 
was  fortified  by  the  English  during  the  revolution;  then  in  an 
ascending  direction  towards  the  heights  of  Roxbury,  where,  dur 
ing  the  blockade,  the  right  wing  of  the  American  lines  stood. 
The  ground  is  very  rocky,  and  partly  covered  with  fir  trees;  the 
trees  which  formerly  stood  here  must  have  been  entirely  remov 
ed,  as  not  one  high  tree  can  be  seen.  Passing  farther  on  we  saw 


51 

very  handsome  country  houses  and  gardens,  the  former  generally 
two  stories  high,  and  surrounded  with  covered  colonnades.  At  one 
of  these  we  paid  a  visit  to  the  owner,  Mr.  Rufus  Amory.  A  walk, 
shaded  by  oak,  elm,  and  maple  trees,  leads  to  the  dwelling  on  a 
slight  elevation,  which  commands  an  extended  and  beautiful  view 
of  Boston  and  the  bay.  We  were  received  by  the  friendly  owner  in 
an  extremely  obliging  and  hospitable  manner.  We  rode  through  a 
romantic  part  of  the  country  to  Dorchester,  to  visit  General  Sum- 
ner  at  his  country  seat,  but  did  not  find  him  at  home.  We  then  re 
turned  by  another  handsome  road  to  Boston,  and  passed  a  large 
rope  manufactory,  the  works  of  which  were  moved  by  steam. 

At  another  excursion  to  Dorchester,  in  company  with  some 
young  men,  sons  of  the  richest  inhabitants  of  the  place,  a  game 
of  ten-pins  was  played.  It  is  called  ten-pins,  because  that  num 
ber  of  pins  is  here  used  in  the  game.* 

Finally,  I  cannot  omit  to  mention  one  visit,  which,  in  company 
with  Mr.  Ritchie,  I  made  to  Mr.  Coolidge,  jr.  Mr.  Coolidge 
had,  three  months  ago,  married  a  Miss  Randolph,  a  granddaugh 
ter  of  THOMAS  JEFFERSON.  His  wife,  about  thirty  years  old,  was 
brought  up  by  her  grandfather  in  the  country  in  his  library.  She 
is  said  to  be  so  learned  that  JEFFERSON  often  asked  her  advice. 
She  had  arrived  a  few  days  previous,  and  made  known  that  she 
would  receive  visiters,  and  we  therefore  found  the  chamber  filled 
with  people.  Every  one  at  his  departure  took  with  him  a  piece 
of  wedding  cake.  The  young  ladies,  as  it  is  said,  place  this  cake 
under  their  pillows,  and  then  dream  of  their  future  lovers, 


CHAPTER  V. 

Journey  from  Boston  to  Jllbany,  by  way  of  Worcester  and 
Northampton. — Sojourn  there,  from  the  8th  to  the  14th  of 
August,  1825. 

ACCOMPANIED  by  Mr.  Tromp,  who  had  become  endeared 
to  me  by  his  knowledge,  his  modest,  honourable,  and  amiable 
deportment,  I  left  Boston  on  the  9th  of  August,  for  Worcester, 
distant  forty  miles.  The  mail-coach,  like  the  diligence  stage, 
consists  of  a  long  calash  with  three  benches,  each  capable  of  con 
taining  three  persons.  The  top  is  fixed,  though  the  curtains  can 
be  rolled  up,  so  that  a  person  may  enjoy  the  fresh  air  and  the 

[*  Most  probably  to  evade  a  law  against  «'  mwe-pins."]— THAWS. 


52 

prospect  of  the  surrounding  country,  without  being  exposed  to  the 
sun. 

We  left  the  hospitable  city  of  Boston  with  grateful  hearts,  and 
rode  over  the  Mill-dam  into  the  interior  of  the  country.  The 
horses  were  changed  four  times,  generally  in  small  villages; 
Farmingham  and  Westborough  appeared  to  be  the  only  ones 
of  any  importance.  The  country  sometimes  seemed  wild,  and 
but  thinly  settled,  though  the  state  of  Massachusetts  is  said  to 
be  the  most  populous  in  North  America.  We  saw  no  grain,* 
though  in  some  places  we  observed  Indian  corn,  and  now  and 
then  some  millet  Apple  orchards  were  abundant — the  trees  hung 
so  full  of  fruit  that  many  of  the  boughs  were  broken.  The  apples 
are  small  and  yellow,  and  are  employed  in  preparing  the  favourite 
beverage  called  cider.  We  gradually  approached  forests,  consist 
ing  of  oak,  chesnut,  and  elm  trees.  Sumach  also  occurs  in  some 
places,  the  bark  of  which  is  said  to  be  excellent  for  tanning 
leather.  There  are  evidently  no  forest  regulations  here,  and  the 
timber  is  very  much  neglected.  The  road  was  for  the  greatest 
part  a  good  turnpike,  and  made  in  the  German  manner.  We 
crossed  several  small  rivers  and  rivulets  on  wooden  bridges,  which 
are  very  slight,  though  they  are  built  with  a  great  waste  of  timber. 
The  planks  are  not  even  nailed  upon  the  beams,  so  that  I  began 
to  be  somewhat  fearful,  especially  as  the  carriage  drove  rapidly 
over.  About  two  miles  from  Worcester  we  crossed  a  lake  call 
ed  Guansiganog-pond,  on  a  wooden  bridge  one-fourth  of  a  mile 
in  length.  The  banks  of  this  lake  are  covered  with  wood,  and 
present  a  very  handsome  appearance.  On  our  way,  we  were 
overtaken  by  a  considerable  thunder-storm,  which  settled  the  dust, 
and  procured  us  a  pleasant  evening.  We  arrived  at  Worcester 
about  7  o'clock,  and  alighted  at  an  excellent  tavern.  This  town 
contains  about  four  thousand  inhabitants,  and  consists  of  a  princi 
pal  street,  with  an  avenue  shaded  with  old  elm  trees,  and  of  seve 
ral  bye-streets,  which,  like  the  preceding,  are  altogether  unpaved. 
The  houses,  generally  built  of  wood,  and  but  few  of  brick,  are  all 
surrounded  with  gardens,  and  stand  at  a  considerable  distance 
from  each  other,  so  that  the  town  appears  like  a  village.  It  has 
four  churches,  a  bank,  and  three  printing-offices,  each  of  which 
furnishes  a  newspaper.  There  arc  also  printing-offices  in  many 
of  the  villages  through  which  we  passed,  as  well  as  a  fire-engine 
in  each.  In  the  evening  we  paid  a  visit  to  the  governor  of  Mas 
sachusetts,  Mr.  Levi  Lincoln,  who  resides  at  this  place.  We 
found  this  worthy  man,  who  is  universally  esteemed  by  his  fel 
low-citizens,  at  home  with  his  wife  and  sister-in-law,  and  were 
received  by  him  in  the  most  friendly  manner.  We  spent  a  very 

[*  The  harvest  having  occurred  in  July.]— TRANS. 
4 


53 

agreeable  evening  in  his  company.  A  proof  of  the  public  esteem 
which  he  enjoys,  is,  that  at  the  last  election,  there  was  not  a  sin 
gle  vote  against  him,  an  example  almost  unparalleled  in  the 
United  States.  The  governor  is  styled  "his  excellency."  On 
the  following  morning  the  governor  conducted  us  to  a  recently 
established  museum,  which  is  designed  chiefly  for  the  collection 
of  American  antiquities.  It  is  yet  in  its  infancy,  and  contains 
but  few  interesting  specimens;  the  library  also  is  of  small  extent, 
notwithstanding  we  must  render  full  justice  to  the,  inhabitants  for 
their  laudable  zeal  in  the  cause  of  natural  science.  We  rode  around 
the  town  in  company  with  the  governor,  passed  the  court-house 
and  prison,  which  unfortunately  we  had  not  time  to  visit,  and  re 
turned  to  our  inn.  The  gardens  we  passed  had  rather  a  wild  ap 
pearance.  They  cultivate  kitchen  vegetables,  a  few  watermelons, 
and  fruit ;  we  saw  no  flowers  excepting  the  sunflower. 
S  At  10  o'clock  we  departed  in  the  Worcester  stage  for  Northamp 
ton,  distant  forty-seven  miles.  Our  company  in  the  stage-coach 
consisted  of  two  gentlemen  and  ladies  from  the  state  of  Missis 
sippi,  who  had  undertaken  a  tour  to  the  northern  states  on  account  of 
the  unhealthy  climate  in  their  own  country,  and  who  entertained 
us  very  agreeably  with  an  account  of  their  estates.  The  road  was 
worse  than  yesterday,  sometimes  sandy,  and  the  horses  generally 
bad,  so  that  on  the  whole,  our  progress  was  slow.  The  country 
is  less  populous,  as  well  as  less  cultivated,  though  there  is  more 
timber,  which,  however,  is  also  very  much  neglected.  We  ob 
served  the  cypress  and  a  few  large  cedars.  As  there  are  no  graz 
ing  laws  in  force,  they  are  obliged  on  account  of  the  cattle,  and 
particularly  on  account  of  the  sheep  which  graze  in  these  woods 
at  large,  to  make  fences  of  young  chesnut  trees  which  are  split  into 
four  pieces.  These  fences  generally  consist  of  six  rails  placed  upon 
each  other,  with  an  interspace  of  several  inches.  They  are  placed 
in  an  angular  form,  and  at  the  point  where  the  rails  meet,  they  are 
placed  one  upon  the  other,  and  usually  supported  upon  a  large 
stone.  Such  a  waste  of  timber  and  land  is  only  pardonable  in  a 
country  where  the  inhabitants  are  few,  and  where  timber  is  abun 
dant.  A  large  extent  of  wood-land  has  been  cleared  only  within 
a  short  time,  and  the  trunks  of  the  trees  which  remained  have 
been  destroyed  by  fire.  The  soil  is  not  particularly  fertile.  We 
observed  numerous  blocks  of  granite,  which  may  be  hereafter 
usefully  employed,  the  large  for  building,  and  the  small  upon  the 
roads.  The  villages  which  we  passed  on  our  way  are  Leicester, 
seven,  Spencer,  five,  Brookfield,  seven,  Ware,  eight,  Belcher- 
town,  nine,  and  Madley,  ten  miles.  They  are  most  of  them 
small  places,  consisting  generally  of  frame  houses,  standing  at  a 
distance  from  each  other,  which  are  very  neat  and  comfortable ; 
each  village  has  a  frame  church  and  a  school-house.  Stores  are 


54 

observed  in  most  cf  these  places,  and  in  Belchertown  there  is 
even  a  fashionable  one.     The  churches  are  usually  provided  with 
long  sheds,  in  which  the  carriages  and  horses  of  the  members  of 
the  church  are  protected  from  the  heat  and  weather  during  the 
service.     Ware,  situated  on  the  river  of  the  same  name,  which 
is  crossed  by  a  wooden  bridge  rather  better  built  than  usual, 
was  laid  out  about  three  years  since;  it  is  a  neat,  flourishing  place, 
and  belongs  to  the  Dexter  family  in  Boston,  who  have  established 
a  woollen  and  .cotton  manufactory  here,  the  workmen  of  which, 
above  three  hundred  in  number,  form  the  inhabitants  of  the  place. 
Mr.  Dexter,  of  Boston,  had  entrusted  me  with  an  important 
packet  of  papers  for  his  brother,  who  resides  in  Ware,  which  I 
delivered  in  person.     We  found  Mr.  Dexter  with  his  beautiful 
wife,  at  his  neat  and  well  arranged  cottage,  situated  in  the  centre 
of  a  garden,  and  received  a  friendly  welcome.   From  his  window 
he  can  overlook  the  whole  village  and  manufactories.   Heretofore, 
said  Mr.  Dexter,  I  have  received  the  greatest  part  of  my  wool 
from  Saxony,  which  is  preferred  here  to  the  Spanish ;  but  at  pre 
sent,  we  have  sheep  imported  from  Saxony,  which  are  permitted 
to  roam  at  large  through  the  wood,  as  there  are  no  wild  animals 
in  Massachusetts  to  destroy  them;  they  yield  a  very  superior 
kind  of  wool.    Unfortunately  we  were  not  at  leisure  to  accept  of 
Mr.  Dexter's  invitation  to  look  at  his  establishments      At  the 
tavern,  which  was  perfectly  clean  and  comfortable,  we  obtained 
a  very  good  dinner,  and  continued  our  journey.   The  inhabitants 
of  Ware  are  said  to  be  distinguished  for  their  strict  morality. 
They  have  a  common  school,  to  which  they  are  obliged  by  law 
to  send  their  children,  as  is  the  case  throughout  Massachusetts,  or 
pay  a  fine.  In  Ware  there  is  but  one  physician,  who  has  a  hand 
some  house,  and  keeps  a  well  furnished  apothecary  store.     The 
strict  republicans  are  jealous  of  the  large  manufacturing  establish 
ments,  because  they  are  afraid  that  individual  citizens,  in  conse 
quence  of  their  property,  may  have  too  great  an  influence  upon 
a  large  mass  of  people;  but  I  imagine  that  the  republic  has  nothing 
to  fear  on  this  head,  since  the  effect  of  individual  influence  is  coun 
terbalanced  by  the  promotion  of  the  welfare  of  the  poorer  classes. 
About  a  mile  from  Northampton  we  passed  the  Connecticut 
river,  five  hundred  yards  wide,  in  a  small  ferry-boat,  which,  as 
the  night  had  already  set  in,  was  not  very  agreeable.     At  North 
ampton  we  took   lodgings  at  Warner's   Hotel,  a  large,  clean, 
and  convenient  inn.     In  front  of  the  house  is  a  large  porch,  and 
in  the  first  story  a  large  balcony.     The  gentlemen  sit  below, 
and  the  ladies  walk  above.     It  is  called  a  piazza,  and  has  many 
conveniences.     Elm  trees  stand  in  front  of  the  house,  and  a  large 
reflecting  lamp  illuminates  the  house  and  the  yard.    This,  with  the 
beautiful  warm  evening,  and  the  great  number  of  people,  who 


55 

reposed  oil  the  piazza,  or  went  to  and  from  the  house,  produced 
a  very  agreeable  effect.  The  people  here  are  exceedingly  reli 
gious,  and,  besides  going  to  church  on  Sundays,  they  go  thrice 
during  the  week.  When  we  arrived,  the  service  had  just  ended, 
and  we  saw  some  very  handsome  ladies  come  out  of  the  church. 
Each  bed-chamber  of  our  tavern  was  provided  with  a  bible.  To 
day  I  observed  also  a  new  mode  of  delivering  letters  and  news 
papers.  The  driver  of  the  mail-coach  throws  the  letters  and  news 
papers,  with  which  he  is  entrusted,  before  the  houses  where  they 
are  to  be  left;  he  sometimes  throws  them  even  into  open  fields, 
along  the  lane  leading  from  the  main  road  to  the  house. 

About  two  years  ago,  Messrs.  Cogswell  and  Bancroft  establish 
ed  a  boarding-school  at  Northampton.  The  day  after  our  arrival, 
llth  of  August,  Mr.  Cogswell  paid  me  a  visit,  and  introduced 
one  of  his  professors,  Dr.  Beck,  of  Heidelberg,  a  step-son  of  Dr. 
De  Wette,  of  Weimar,  who  teaches  the  Latin  and  Greek  languages. 
Another  German  professor,  whom,  however,  I  did  not  see,  directs 
the  gymnastic  exercises.  Both  these  gentlemen  conducted  us  to 
the  institute,  which  is  situated  on  Round  Hill,  about  a  mile  from 
Northampton. 

Northampton  contains  about  four  thousand  inhabitants,  and 
its  buildings  are,  apparently,  very  much  like  those  of  Worcester; 
it  has  one  bank,  a  court-house,  prison,  and  a  printing-office.  From 
Mr.  Cogswell's  institute,  you  have  a  magnificent  view  of  the  fer 
tile  and  well-cultivated  valley  of  the  Connecticut  river,  which,  in 
this  place,  winds  between  two  lofty  mountains,  Holyoake  and 
Mounttoby.  On  the  left,  the  lofty  mountains  of  New  Hampshire 
present  a  beautiful  prospect.  In  1824,  this  institution  had  but 
forty  pupils,  and  in  1825,  it  numbered  no  less  than  seventy-four, 
so  that  Mr.  Cogswell  is  obliged,  although  he  has  three  large  houses 
belonging  to  his  establishment,  to  erect  a  fourth  and  larger  one. 
The  gymnastic  exercises,  for  which  a  place  is  provided  in  the 
woods,  with  the  necessary  apparatus,  form  a  principal  part 
of  the  instructions  of  this  seminary.  The  boys  are  entirely 
excluded  from  the  world;  but  that  they  may  not  become  too 
much  estranged,  Mr.  Cogswell  accompanies  them  annually  in 
various  pedestrian  tours  through  the  surrounding  country.  I 
visited  Mr.  Bancroft  at  his  room.  Both  these  gentlemen  enter 
tain  the  warmest  enthusiasm  for  Germany  and  the  German  method 
of  instruction,  and  are  determined  to  regulate  every  thing  accord 
ing  to  that  system.  Mr.  Bates,  a  lawyer  introduced  to  us  by 
Mr.  Cogswell,  returned  with  us  to  town,  and  showed  us  the 
church,  court-house,  and  a  collection  of  minerals,  in  the  possession 
of  Dr.  Hunt,  in  which  I  admired  particularly  two  specimens  of 
American  beryl  and  several  specimens  of  rock-crystal.  On  our 


56 

return  to  the  tavern,  I  received  a  visit  from  a  physician,  Dr. 
Seeger,  who  was  educated  with  Schiller  in  the  military  school 
at  Wirtemberg.  He  wished  to  become  acquainted  with  me  on 
account  of  my  father,  for  whom  he  expressed  the  highest  venera 
tion.  I  must  acknowledge,  that,  in  a  country  so  far  from  my 
native  land,  this  afforded  me  the  most  sincere  gratification,  and 
my  acquaintance  with  the  worthy  Dr.  Seeger,  who  has  been  an 
inhabitant  of  the  United  States  during  the  last  forty  years,  and 
who  is  universally  esteemed  as  an  honest  man  and  a  good  physi 
cian,  I  shall  always  remember  with  pleasure  and  satisfaction. 

At  Springfield,  twenty  miles  from  Northampton  down  the 
Connecticut  river,  is  the  government  armoury.  We  left  North 
ampton,  to  visit  this  establishment,  under  the  most  oppressive 
heat,  with  five  ladies  and  two  gentlemen  in  the  stage-coach,  into 
which  we  were  crowded,  somewhat  like  those  that  were  shut  up 
in  the  Trojan  horse.  We  arrived  about  3  o'clock  in  the  after 
noon,  and  again  found  an  excellent  tavern,  which  was  provided 
with  a  piazza.  Our  ride  passed  through  a  well-cultivated  region 
of  country,  along  the  right  bank  of  the  Connecticut  river;  In 
dian  corn,  millet,  and  potatoes  were  observed  in  considerable 
abundance,  in  some  places  we  also  observed  hemp,  and  sometimes, 
though  seldom,  hops. 

Springfield  is  situated  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Connecticut 
river,  over  which,  close  by  the  town,  is  a  wooden  bridge,  five 
hundred  yards  long,  and  built  in  a  very  awkward  style.  Spring 
field  has  much  more  the  appearance  of  a  city  than  Worcester  and 
Northampton,  for  there  are  at  least  some  stone  houses  situated 
so  closely  together  that  they  form  a  street.  Colonel  Lee  had  the 
goodness  to  take  us  in  his  carriage  to  the  manufactory  of  arms,  of 
which  he  is  the  director.  It  is  situated  about  a  mile  from  Spring 
field,  in  a  very  beautiful  valley,  on  a  rivulet.  It  employs  daily 
two  hundred  and  seventy-four  workmen.  These  are  settled  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  manufactory,  form  a  kind  of  colony,  and  have 
a  school  for  their  children.  They  are  also  obliged  to  distinguish 
themselves  by  their  good  moral  deportment.  The  muskets  for 
tlic  American  army  are  made  on  the  improved  French  model  of 
1777,  with  the  exception  that  they  are  somewhat  shorter,  while 
the  bayonets  are  rather  longer.  The  barrels  and  bayonets  arc 
browned,  as  Dupin  has  described  at  full  length  in  Travels  through 
Great  Britain.  We  examined  the  works  throughout.  There  are  se 
veral  houses,  and  the  machines  are  propelled  by  water.  They 
finish  annually  fifteen  thousand  muskets,  each  of  which  costs  the 
government  on  an  average  eleven  dollars.  How  much  might  be 
saved,  if,  as  in  other  countries,  muskets  were  made  by  private 
workmen!  The  arsenal  in  which  these  muskets  arc  preserved 


57 

and  packed  in  chests,  each  containing  twenty  pieces,  was  destroy 
ed  by  fire  about  a  year  and  a  half  since,  but  having  been  rebuilt, 
it  consists  at  present  of  a  centre  building  for  the  offices,  two  iso 
lated  wings  for  the  preservation  of  the  different  arms,  and  of  se 
veral  other  adjacent  buildings  for  the  necessary  workshops. 
These  buildings  form  an  oblong  square,  of  which  the  proper  ar 
moury  forms  one  of  the  short  sides;  on  the  other,  oppositely  to 
the  centre  building,  is  Colonel  Lee's  neat  and  beautiful  dwelling. 
The  houses  belonging  to  the  arsenal  are  built  of  brick  externally, 
while  internally  every  thing  is  of  wood;  and  as,  during  the  win 
ter  season  these  buildings  are  heated  with  wood,  there  appeared 
to  me  to  be  much  danger  of  fire.  I  remarked  this  to  Colonel 
Lee,  who  appeared  to  participate  in  my  apprehensions.  After  our 
return  to  the  tavern,  Mr.  Calhoun,  with  whom  we  had  become 
acquainted  through  Mr.  Bates,  introduced  us  to  several  gentle 
men  of  the  town,  and  took  us  in  the  evening  to  a  musical  party 
at  the  house  of  a  Mr.  Dwight,  where  we  found  the  fashionable 
part  of  society  assembled.  The  ladies  sang  very  well,  and  played 
on  the  piano-forte  several  pieces  from  "  Der  Freischutz,"  an 
opera  which  is  at  present  a  favourite  in  America. 

We  had  determined  to  go  on  the  12th  of  August  to  New  Le 
banon,  to  visit  the  Springs  and  the  Shaker's  village,  but  the 
Fates  had  decreed  otherwise.  We  left  Springfield  at  two  o'clock 
in  the  morning  in  the  stage,  rode  over  the  bridge,  through  West- 
field,  which,  as  far  as  we  could  judge  in  the  dark,  is  a  handsome 
village,  and  arrived  at  day  break  in  a  romantic  valley,  on  West- 
field  river,  whose  waters  fall  over  huge  rocks.  At  Russel,  which 
is  situated  in  an  uncultivated  valley,  seventeen  miles  from  Spring 
field,  we  partook  of  an  excellent  breakfast  at  the  stage-office,  and 
were  much  pleased  at  the  clean  and  comfortable  appearance  of 
the  houses  and  inhabitants.  It  was  so  cold  early  in  the  morning, 
that  a  large  fire  which  we  found  at  this  house,  was  quite  comfort 
able.  The  road  through  the  wild  romantic  valley,  generally  as 
cending,  and  along  the  river,  was  rather  bad,  and  often  very  nar 
row;  instead  of  a  railing,  there  were  only  trunks  of  large  trees, 
which  were  permitted  to  decay  in  a  very  unjustifiable  manner. 
The  bridges  also  were  as  badly  built  as  those  of  which  we  have 
already  complained.  The  forest  trees  were  very  handsome,  but 
many  of  them  are  destroyed  for  the  cabins  of  the  new  settlers. 
These  dwellings,  like  the  log-houses,  are  built  of  the  trunks  of 
large  trees.  Amongst  the  few  settlers  whom  we  observed  there, 
were  several  negro  and  mulatto  families.  The  villages  of  Ches 
ter,  Bucket,  and  Lee,  through  which  we  passed,  consist  of  but 
few  houses;  Lee,  however,  appears  to  be  a  flourishing  village.  At 
this  place  we  left  the  mountains,  and  again  entered  upon  a  better 
cultivated  region,  in  which  we  observed  stubbles  of  wheat  and  rye. 

VOL.  I.  8 


58 

Exceedingly  fatigued  in  consequence  of  the  great  heat,  and  the 
number  of  passengers  in  the  stage-coach,  I  was  anxious  to  pro 
cure  a  carriage  in  order  to  visit  New  Lebanon,  distant  fourteen 
miles;  but  the  person  of  whom  I  inquired  was  so  extortionate  as 
to  ask  ten  dollars.  I  determined,  in  order  to  avoid  a  new  yankee 
trick,  to  prosecute  my  journey  in  the  stage-coach,  direct  for  Al 
bany.  At  Canaan,  thirteen  miles  distant,  we  left  the  state  of 
Massachusetts,  and  entered  that  of  New  York.  The  other  vil 
lages  which  we  passed  after  our  departure  from  Canaan,  were 
Chatham,  six  miles,  Nassau,  or  Union  Village,  four  miles, 
and  Schoodie,  five  miles.  The  distance  from  Springfield  to  Al 
bany  is  eighty-one  miles.  The  above  villages  have  a  neat  and 
comfortable  appearance,  and  the  fields  were  in  a  good  state  of 
cultivation.  Upon  our  arrival  at  Schoodie  the  night  was  just  set 
ting  in,  but  unfortunately  we  were  lighted  by  a  burning  house 
upon  an  eminence  not  far  off.  At  the  village  of  Greenbush,  near 
Albany,  we  crossed  the  Hudson  or  North  river  in  a  horse-boat, 
and  upon  our  arrival  in  the  city  took  lodgings  at  Cruttenden's 
boarding-house,  on  an  eminence  near  the  capitol  or  state-house. 

Albany  contains  about  fifteen  thousand  inhabitants.  It  is  situ 
ated  upon  the  right  bank  of  the  Hudson,  and  extends  westward 
upon  an  eminence.  It  was  built  by  the  Dutch  in  1614,  under 
the  name  of  Fort  Orange,  and  received  its  present  name  after  it 
came  into  the  possession  of  the  English,  in  honour  of  the  after 
wards  unfortunate  King  James  II.  who  was  then  duke  of  York 
and  Albany.  Some  of  the  Dutch  houses  are  still  standing,  and 
several  of  the  streets  retain  their  original  names. 

At  the  tavern  we  met  with  a  Mr.  Jackson,  from  New  York, 
who  had  arrived  at  the  same  time,  and  who  was  accompanied  by 
his  sister  and  his  son,  Columbus,  a  sensible  lad  about  ten  years 
of  age.  Mr.  J.  is  a  teacher.  In  consequence  of  the  vicinity  to  the 
Ballston,  Saratoga,  and  New  Lebanon  springs,  and  the  fa 
shionable  season,  the  hotel  was  so  full  of  strangers,  that  I  was 
obliged  to  sleep  with  Mr.  Tromp,  in  a  small  chamber.  On  the 
following  morning,  at  the  public  breakfast,  I  again  met  with  Mr. 
Jackson  and  Columbus,  and  as  he  was  acquainted  in  Albany,  I 
ccepted  of  his  invitation  to  take  a  walk  through  the  city.  It  is 
d  and  in  some  parts  appears  to  be  in  a  state  of  decay.  During 

2  late  war  with  England  it  was  in  a  quite  flourishing  state;  but 

the  peace  it  has  suffered  considerably,  in  consequence  of 

heavy  failures  and  a  great  fire.   Albany  has  received  a  new 

se,  an  increase  of  commerce,  and  expects  to  reap  the  most 

happy  results  from  the  Erie  Canal,  which  has  been  lately  esta- 

3d,  and  which  commences  here,  and  runs  a  distance  of  three 

K  red  and  sixty-two  miles  to  Lake  Erie,  as  well  as  from  the 
canal  from  Lake  Champlain.  The  pavements  were  so  bad  that  I 


59 

was  obliged  to  complain  immediately  upon  our  arrival,  and  this 
I  was  subsequently  forced  to  repeat;  the  streets  were  also  very 
crooked.  We  visited  several  bookstores,  which  appeared  to  be 
well  furnished,  and  then  took  a  walk  to  the  new  basin,  into  which 
the  canal  empties.  It  is  separated  from  the  Hudson  by  a  dam 
which  runs  parallel  with  the  river,  and  is  four  thousand  feet  long, 
from  three  to  four  hundred  wide,  and  ten  feet  deep.  The  dam  is 
built  of  strong  rafters,  which  form  its  two  walls,  the  intervals  of 
which  are  filled  up  with  earth  and  stone.  It  is  connected  with 
the  bank  of  the  river  by  several  high  wooden  bridges,  in  the  cen 
tre  of  which  there  are  drawbridges  for  the  passage  of  boats.  The 
building  of  this  dam  cost  one  hundred  and  thirty  thousand  dol 
lars.  It  was  divided  into  lots,  and  sold  separately,  on  condition 
that  store-houses  should  be  erected  upon  it:  in  consequence  of 
this  they  have  realized  the  sum  of  one  hundred  and  ninety  thou 
sand  dollars.  In  my  opinion,  the  managers  of  the  canal,  at  whose 
expense  the  basin  and  the  two  canals  have  been  built,  would 
have  done  better,  if  they  had  kept  the  dam  and  rented  it.  Being 
built  of  wood,  which  is  more  or  less  subject  to  decay,  as  they 
are  to  erect  nothing  but  store-houses  upon  it,  it  is  to  be  feared 
that  in  the  course  of  ten  years  it  will  tumble  down  in  conse 
quence  of  the  pressure,  or  that  they  will  be  obliged  to  repair  it  in 
great  measure,  or  perhaps  completely  rebuild  it  with  stone.  As 
stone  is  very  cheap  here,  and  sawed  in  the  prisons,  they  should 
have  originally  built  the  dam  of  stone.  The  present  one  seems  to  me 
to  have  been  but  badly  executed.  In  the  basin  we  saw  a  travelling 
bookstore  in  one  of  the  canal-boats.  Mr.  Wilcox,  who  establish 
ed  it  about  two  years  ago  on  the  Erie  Canal,  travels  backwards 
and  forwards  several  times  a  year,  and  is  said  to  do  considera 
ble  business.  He  had  just  returned  to  get  a  new  assortment  of 
books.  Most  of  the  books  which  he  sells  at  the  villages  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  canal  are  ancient  authors,  some  medical  and 
religious,  and  a  few  law  books  and  novels.  This  gentleman,  for 
merly  a  merchant  in  Albany,  entirely  supports  his  family,  who 
reside  with  him  in  his  boat,  by  this  fortunate  speculation.  I  pur 
chased  of  him  an  excellent  map  of  the  state  of  New  York. 

A  few  hours  after,  we  visited  some  of  the  steam-boats  which  ply 
between  Albany  and  New  York.  The  largest,  called  the  Car 
of  Commerce,  is  provided  with  excellent  apartments,  and  makes 
her  trip  in  nineteen  hours.  This  vessel  is  extremely  elegant,  but 
my  friend  Tromp  is  of  opinion  that  the  English  steam-boats  are 
superior  in  machinery.  In  fact,  in  this  country,  the  American 
steam-engines  are  not  celebrated  for  the  safety  of  their  boilers; 
and  several  explosions  which  have  occurred,  serve  to  increase  this 
evil  report.  From  this  reason,  as  well  as  on  account  of  the  dis 
agreeable  motion  of  the  steam-engine,  many  persons  were  unwil- 


60 

ling  to  risk  their  lives,  so  that  they  have  attached  a  safety-barge 
to  one  of  the  steam-boats.  This  is  a  real  floating  hotel,  furnish 
ed  with  the  greatest  luxury.  In  the  ladies  cabin  there  are  even 
silk  curtains.  Besides  this,  the  ladies  have  a  separate  toilette 
and  parlour.  The  gentlemen  assemble  in  the  dining  room.  The 
whole  boat  is  surrounded  by  a  piazza,  which,  in  warm  weather, 
must  be  extremely  pleasant.  The  name  of  this  safety-barge 
which  carries  passengers  at  four  dollars,  is  Lady  Clinton,  in 
honour  of  the  wife  of  the  governor  of  New  York,  De  Witt  Clin 
ton.  We  also  visited  the  Constellation,  another  beautiful  steam 
boat,  which  has  no  safety-barge.  There  are  also  steam-boats 
for  the  purpose  of  towing  the  common  sloops,  &c.  up  and  down 
the  river,  called  steam-tow-boats. 

Finally,  we  examined  the  horse  ferry-boats.  These  boats  consist 
of  two  vessels  joined  together,  have  a  common  deck,  and  are  of 
an  elliptical  form  Upon  the  centre  of  the  deck  is  a  round  house, 
in  which  six  horses  work,  turning  a  horizontal,  which  moves  two 
common  wheels  between  the  boats,  provided  with  paddles,  as  in 
the  steam-boats.  The  carriage,  and  twenty-two  two-horse  carts 
crossed  at  the  same  time,  standing  on  both  sides  of  the  round 
house.  There  are  two  rudders,  one  at  the  stern,  the  other  at  the  bow^ 

The  trade  in  timber  and  boards  is  one  of  the  capital  branches 
of  internal  trade.  We  saw  a  great  quantity  of  both  on  the  wharves, 
and  at  the  dam.  At  dinner  we  became  acquainted  with  the  Spa 
nish  consul  of  Boston,  a  worthy  young  man,  who  was  educated 
in  France.  After  dinner  we  took  a  view  of  the  capitol,  or  state- 
house,  situated  upon  a  small  eminence,  and  at  a  short  distance 
from  our  inn.  Albany  is  the  seat  of  government  and  the  capitol 
of  the  state  of  New  York,  but  it  is  said  to  be  the  intention  of  the 
inhabitants  shortly  to  remove  the  seat  of  government  to  Utica, 
which  is  situated  farther  to  the  west,  and  in  a  more  central  part 
of  the  state.  The  capitol  is  built  of  brown  sand-stone,  and  in  a 
quadrangular  form;  in  front  it  is  ornamented  with  large  steps,  and 
four  Ionic  columns  of  white  marble.  The  halls  of  the  different 
branches  of  the  legislature  are  spacious,  but  exhibit  nothing  re 
markable.  In  one  of  the  halls  is  a  full  length  portrait  of  Wash 
ington,  and  in  another,  that  of  the  late  Governor  Clinton,  an 
uncle  of  the  present  governor.*  On  the  top  of  the  capitol  is  a 
cupalo,  from  which  there  is  a  beautiful  view  of  the  city  of  Albany, 
and  the  valley  of  the  Hudson,  which  is  bounded  on  the  right  by 
the  tskill  mountains,  and  on  the  left  by  the  mountains  of 
On  the  dome  is  a  wooden  statue  representing  justice, 
to  the  back  of  which  is  secured  a  heavy  lightning-rod,  so  that 
witlings  remark  that  she  is  standing  in  the  pillory 

*  [Recently  deceased.]— TRANS. 


61 

At  Albany  are  some  remains  of  the  feudal  system.  The  Van 
Rensselaer  family,  one  of  the  oldest  of  the  Dutch  emigrants,  ob 
tained  the  country  around  Albany  at  the  time  it  was  first  settled, 
as  a  fief;  it  was  divided  into  different  portions,  and  some  of  these 
were  leased  to  vassals  who  were  obliged  to  pay  a  certain  rent, 
and  to  render  certain  services  to  the  owner.  The  eldest  of  the 
Van  Rensselaer  family  has  always  borne  the  title  of  patroon, 
and  enjoys  certain  feudal  prerogatives,  for  which  the  family  are 
indebted  to  the  great  popularity  they  have  enjoyed  ever  since 
the  revolution,  though  every  recollection  of  the  feudal  sys 
tem  is  repugnant  to  the  genius  of  the  American  government.  By 
the  people  in  the  neighbourhood,  the  house  of  the  old  General 
Van  Rensselaer  is  always  called  the  manor  of  the  patroon. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Journey  from  Albany  to  the  Falls  of  Niagara. — Erie  Canal. 
—Schenectady.--  Utica  — Rochester. —Buffalo.—  The  Falls  of 
Niagara,  from  the  14th  to  the  25th  of 'Jlugust,  1825. 

ON  the  morning  of  the  14th  of  August,  we  took  passage  on 
board  the  Albany,  one  of  the  canal  packet-boats,  for  Lake  Erie. 
This  canal  was  built  at  an  expense  of  $  2,500,000,  and  will  be 
completed  in  about  four  weeks:  at  present,  they  are  at  work  only 
on  the  western  part  of  it.  During  the  preceding  year,  they  re 
ceived  an  income  of  $  300,000,  and  they  expect,  during  the  pre 
sent  year,  after  the  canal  shall  have  been  completed,  an  income 
of  $  500,000,  so  that  the  expenses  will,  in  a  very  short  time,  be 
replaced,  and  the  state  realize  an  immense  profit,  unless  it  be 
necessary  to  make  great  repairs,  which  I  have  no  doubt  will  be 
the  case,  and  will  consequently  require  a  large  share  of  this 
income.  Hitherto  the  great  canal  system  was  unknown  in 
the  United  States,  and  was  rather  unpopular.  It  might  have  been 
expected,  therefore,  that  so  great  and  rapid  an  undertaking,  would 
have  a  tendency  to  astound,  if  we  may  so  speak,  the  public  mind; 
so  that  this  canal  was  finished  as  soon  as  possible,  without  call 
ing  to  aid  the  great  experience  possessed  by  other  nations.  Not 
withstanding,  this  canal,  which  is  three  hundred  and  sixty-two 
miles  in  length,  with  eighty-three  locks,  between  the  Hudson 
and  Lake  Erie,  which  lies  six  hundred  and  eighty-eight  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  former  river,  does  the  greatest  honour  to  the  ge 
nius  of  its  projector;  though  one  who  has  seen  the  canals  in  France, 


62 

Holland,  and  England,  will  readily  perceive,  that  the  water-works 
of  this  country  afford  much  room  for  improvement.  The  canal 
is  thirty-five  feet  wide  on  the  surface,  twenty-eight  feet  at  the 
bottom,  and  four  feet  deep,  so  that  none  but  flat  vessels  and  rafts 
can  sail  on  it.  The  packet-boat  which  took  us  to  Schenectady, 
was  seventy  feet  long,  fourteen  feet  wide,  and  drew  two  feet 
water.  It  was  covered,  and  contained  a  spacious  cabin,  with  a 
kitchen,  and  was  very  neatly  arranged.  On  account  of  the  great 
number  of  locks,  the  progress  of  our  journey  was  but  slow:  our 
packet-boat  went  only  at  the  rate  of  three  miles  an  hour,  being 
detained  at  each  lock,  on  an  average,  four  minutes.  The  locks 
are  fourteen  feet  wide  above  the  surface,  and  have  a  fall  from 
seven  to  twelve  feet.  The  packet-boat  was  drawn  by  three  horses, 
which  walked  upon  a  narrow  tow-path  leading  along  the  canal, 
and  beneath  the  numerous  bridges  which  are  thrown  over  it.  These 
bridges,  of  which  there  are  about  three  hundred  between  Albany 
and  Utica,  are  all  built  of  wood,  and  in  a  very  awkward  style; 
most  of  them  belong  to  the  farmers,  and  are  intended  to  serve  as 
a  means  of  communication  between  their  fields.  The  distance 
from  Albany  to  Schenectady,  by  land,  is  only  fifteen  miles,  and 
persons  are  enabled  to  travel  it  in  a  very  short  time  in  the  stage 
coach  ;  but  as  we  were  anxious  to  see  the  canal,  and  get  leisure  to 
complete  our  journals,  we  preferred  going  by  water,  twenty-eight 
miles. 

At  Troy,  five  miles  and  a  half  from  Albany,  is  the  govern 
ment  arsenal,  which  appears  to  be  a  large  establishment.  As 
far  as  this  place,  the  canal  runs  nearly  parallel  with  the  Hudson. 
Troy,  which  is  very  pleasantly  situated  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
river,  at  the  foot  of  several  tolerably  high  mountains,  one  of  which 
is  called  Mount  Ida,  appears,  if  we  may  be  permitted  to  judge 
from  the  large  store-houses  and  the  good  appearance  of  the  dwel 
lings,  to  be  a  wealthy  place.  Here  is  a  branch  canal  which  has 
two  locks,  and  establishes  a  communication  with  Troy.  Shortly 
after,  we  arrived  at  a  place  where  there  are  no  less  than  nine  locks, 
with  an  ascent  of  seventy-eight  feet.  In  front,  and  to  the  right 
of  this,  is  another  canal,  which  unites  with  the  Hudson  and  the 
canal  from  Lake  Champlain.  At  this  place  we  left  the  Hudson 
and  directed  our  course  along  the  Mohawk  river.  During  our 
ride  we  observed  a  covered  wooden  bridge,  which  extends  over 
the  latter  river,  a  short  distance  from  its  mouth,  and  is  about  six 
hundred  feet  in  length,  supported  by  fifteen  wooden  piers.  Here 
we  saw  the  famous  Cohoes  Falls  of  the  Mohawk  river,  seventy- 
eight  feet  in  height  and  about  four  hundred  feet  wide.  In  the 
spring,  when  these  falls  extend  over  the  entire  bed  of  the  Mohawk, 
hey  are  said  to  be  extremely  magnificent;  during  the  present  dry 
weather,  they  presented  a  very  handsome  appearance,  though 


63 

they  were  very  small.  The  river  was  almost  completely  dried 
up.  I  walked  over  its  bed,  which  consists  of  slate  rock,  as  far  as 
its  middle  and  near  to  the  falls.  In  some  places  the  rocks  are 
excavated  by  the  action  of  the  water,  and  you  may  see  holes 
which  are  full  of  water  and  are  said  to  contain  excellent  fish. 
Finding  great  difficulty  in  continuing  the  canal  on  the  right  bank 
of  the  Mohawk,  they  were  obliged  here  to  carry  it  to  the  oppo 
site  side  by  means  of  an  aqueduct-bridge,  one  thousand  one 
hundred  and  eighty-eight  feet  in  length.  This  bridge  is  of  wood, 
and  is  supported  by  twenty-six  stone  columns,  on  account  of 
which,  they  have  placed  a  chevaux-de-frise,  to  keep  off  the 
ice  in  the  river  about  one  hundred  yards  off.  The  part  of  this 
wooden  canal,  which  contains  the  water,  is  about  twenty  feet 
wide  and  has  a  tow-path  eight  feet  wide  on  one  side.  These 
wooden  aqueducts  will  probably  soon  require  repairing,  and  there 
is  no  doubt  but  that  they  will  ultimately  be  obliged  to  build  them 
of  iron.  The  canal  is  cut  through  the  rocks,  almost  the  whole 
distance,  where  it  runs  along  the  left  bank  of  the  Mohawk, 
and  presents  a  very  handsome  appearance.  Twelve  miles  farther 
on,  it  returns  again  to  the  right  bank  of  the  Mohawk  by  a  simi 
lar  aqueduct,  seven  hundred  and  forty-eight  feet  in  length  and 
supported  by  sixteen  piers.  Above  this  aqueduct,  which  is  also 
protected  by  a  chevaux-de-frise,  there  is  a  common  wooden 
bridge  thrown  over  the  river,  for  wagons.  Four  miles  farther 
on  is  Schenectady,  where  we  arrived  after  sunset.  Between  this 
town  and  Albany,  we  passed  no  less  than  twenty-seven  locks. 
These,  though  they  are  built  of  solid  lime-stone,  will  soon  re 
quire  repairing,  as  the  water  passes  through  them  in  various  places. 
The  gates  also  lock  badly,  so  that  the  water  which  percolates 
forms  artificial  cascades.  The  country  through  which  we  passed 
to-day  was  generally  wild  and  hilly,  and  somewhat  thinly  settled. 
Schenectady  is  an  old  town  containing  about  five  thousand  in 
habitants,  and  is  intersected  by  the  canal.  At  this  place  we  left 
the  packet-boat,  in  order  to  proceed  to  Utica  next  morning  in 
another  boat,  and  found  excellent  lodgings  at  Given's  hotel,  which, 
after  the  great  heat  we  had  endured  during  the  day,  was  exceed 
ingly  agreeable.  Its  inhabitants  are,  in  part,  descendants  of  the 
Lower  Saxons,  and  some  of  them  whom  I  saw  at  the  tavern  con 
versed  with  me  in  bad  Dutch.  Early  on  the  next  morning  we 
walked  through  the  town,  and  visited  Union  College,  which 
consists  of  two  large  buildings  situated  a  short  distance  from  the 
town  upon  a  little  eminence.  It  was  the  time  of  vacation,  and 
consequently  it  was  perfectly  silent.  From  its  decaying  appear 
ance,  I  should  judge  the  college  was  not  in  a  very  prosperous 
condition.  From  this  building  you  have  a  beautiful  view  of  the 


64 

town,  and  of  the  Mohawk  valley,  which  appears  here  to  be  well 
settled.  In  the  town  we  observed  a  peculiar  windmill,  with  a 
horizontal  wheel,  whose  sails,  about  twenty  in  number,  stand  per 
pendicularly. 

We  left  Schenectady  early  in  the  morning  on  board  the  packet- 
boat  Samuel  Young,  which  had  engaged  to  take  us  to  Utica, 
eighty  miles  distant,  by  an  early  hour  the  next  day.  It  was  a 
large  boat,  and,  as  the  passengers  are  obliged  to  spend  the  night 
on  board,  is  provided  with  separate  apartments  for  the  ladies.  The 
canal  again  ran  along  the  well-cultivated  valley  of  the  Mohawk, 
and  the  country,  on  account  of  the  foliage  of  the  trees  upon  the 
heights  was  beautiful.  The  village  of  Amsterdam  consists  of  a 
few  neat  houses;  and  opposite,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Mohawk, 
is  Rotterdam.  On  our  way  we  passed  several  small  aqueducts, 
the  longest  of  which  rest  only  upon  three  piers,  and  extend  over 
small  brooks,  which,  as  well  as  the  small  rivulets,  are  distinguish 
ed  by  the  Indian  appellation  of  "  creek."  The  canal  is  carried 
over  two  rivers,  called  Schoharie  and  Canajoharie  creeks,  from 
which  it  receives  the  most  of  its  water.  At  this  place  the  horses  are 
conveyed  to  the  opposite  side  of  the  two  rivers  by  means  of  ferry 
boats.  At  the  first  ferry  is  a  small  village,  called  Fort  Hunter, 
where,  before  the  revolution,  there  had  been  a  fort,  or  rather  a 
redoubt  of  the  same  name.  Towards  evening  we  passed  through 
a  valley,  which  is  formed  by  two  rocky  mountains,  one  of 
which  is  called  Anthony's  Nose.  The  houses  we  saw  on  our 
route,  had  generally  a  handsome  appearance;  to-day  and  yester 
day  I  observed  also  some  saw-mills.  There  are  twenty-six  locks 
between  Schenectady  and  Utica.  The  day  was  intolerably 
warm,  and  our  company  was  very  numerous.  I  confined  myself 
to  writing,  the  whole  day,  as  much  as  possible;  but,  in  consequence 
of  the  heat,  I  could  not  avoid  sleeping.  In  the  evening  we  for 
tunately  had  a  thunder-storm,  which  cooled  the  air.  During  the 
night,  as  there  was  a  want  of  births,  the  beds  were  placed  upon 
benches,  and,  as  I  was  the  tallest  person,  mine  was  put  in  the 
centre  upon  the  longest  bench,  with  a  chair  as  a  supplement.  It  had 
the  appearance  of  a  hereditary  sepulchre,  in  the  centre  of  which  I 
lay  as  father  of  the  family.  I  spent  an  uncomfortable  night,  on 
account  of  my  constrained  posture,  the  insects  which  annoyed  me, 
and  the  steersman,  who  always  played  an  agreeable  tune  upon  his 
, bugle  whenever  he  approached  a  lock.  During  the  night  we 
passed  an  aqueduct  bridge,  which  stands  over  a  solace,  called  Lit 
tle  Falls.  Towards  morning  we  passed  through  a  well-cultivated 
region,  with  some  neat  houses,  called  German  flats,  and  which 
was  settled  by  some  Germans  during  the  time  of  Queen  Anne. 
At  about  twelve  o'clock  at  noon  we  arrived  at  Utica,  nine  miles 


65 

from  the  place  where  we  passed  a  lock,  which  is  the  last  that  oc 
curs  in  the  next  seventy  miles.  The  land  appeared  to  be  marshy, 
and  consisted  of  sand  and  pebbles. 

Utica,  which  is  intersected  by  the  canal,  is  a  flourishing  town, 
of  about   four   thousand   inhabitants,  and  stands  upon  the  site 
where  Fort  Schuyler,  a  redoubt  against  the  Indians,  was  formerly 
situated.     In  1794,  there  was  a  small  tavern  here,  which  was  the 
or>ly  dwelling  house  in  this  part  of  the  country;  but  at  present 
Utica  is  one  of  the  most  flourishing  towns  in  the  state  of  New 
York,  and  new  houses  are  continually  building.     In  fact,  it  is 
only  here  that  a  person  begins  to  admire  the  great  improvements 
in  cultivation,  and  gets  perfectly  new  ideas  of  the  works  of  man, 
and  of  his  enterprising  genius!     Utica,  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
Mohawk,  has  two  banks,  four  churches,  an  academy,  and  large 
and  convenient  stores,  a  bookstore,  and  printing-office.     It  has 
also  several  ale-houses,  and  three  fine  taverns,  at  the  largest  of 
which,  called  Shepherd's  hotel,  we  found  excellent  accommoda 
tions.   In  this  house  there  are  always  more  than  seventy  beds  for 
the  accommodation  of  strangers;  and  these,  on  some  occasions,  are 
barely  sufficient.     The  number  of  travellers  this  summer,  is  said 
to  have  been  unusually  great,  especially  from  the  southern  states, 
where  the  heat  is  intolerable,  and  the   summers  generally  un 
healthy.     In  such  an  American  tavern  every  thing  is  perfectly 
comfortable,  and  proportionably  cheap.     The  price  for  board  and 
lodging  is  a  dollar  a  day.     The  bell  for  rising  rings  before  seven 
o'clock  in  the  morning.   The  bed-chambers  are  spacious,  the  beds 
wide  and  comfortable,  and  the  linen  fine  and  perfectly  clean.   The 
bed-chambers,  moreover,  are  furnished  with  the  necessary  wash- 
stands,  &c.     After  a  person  is  dressed,  he  enters  the  bar-room, 
where  he  finds  all  kinds  of  strong  and  refreshing  drinks;  the  desk 
of  the  head  waiter  is  also  here,  who  attends  to  the  bill.   The  inn 
keeper  is  generally  a  gentleman,  who  eats  with  the  guests,  and 
leads  the  conversation.     Besides  the  entry,  where  the  boots  and 
shoes  are  left  in  the  evening,  and  where  they  are  found  well 
cleaned  in  the  morning,  there  are  several  sitting,  reading,  and 
writing  parlours,  &c.     And  if  a  person  wishes  a  separate  sitting- 
room,  especially  when  he  travels  with  ladies,  it  may  be  readily 
had  at  a  separate  charge.   Half  an  hour  after  rising,  they  ring  the 
bell  for  breakfast;  and,  upon  going  to  the  dining-room,  you  find 
upon  a  covered  table,  beef-steaks,  mutton,  broiled  chicken,  or 
other  fowls,  fish,  and  boiled  potatoes,  which  are  of  a  very  supe 
rior  quality.    The  waiters,  or  in  many  places,  the  servant-maids, 
hand  the  coffee  and  tea.     As  the  Americans,  in  general,  are  a 
quiet  people,  such  a  breakfast,  which  is  eaten  in  great  haste,  is 
attended  with  but  little  noise.  Dinner  is  generally  served  at  about 
VOL.  I.  9 


66 

i\vo  o'clock,  and  tea  at.  seven  in  the  evening.  At  tea,  the  table 
is  again  furnished  as  at  breakfast,  with  the  addition  of  ragouts 
and^bakcr's  bread.  Nobody  is  obliged  to  drink  wine.  ^  There  are 
usually  water  and  whiskey  on  the  table,  which  are  mixed  in  the 
summer,  as  the  most  healthy  drink.  Every  one  must  help  him 
self  as  well  as  he  can,  for  the  victuals  are  not  handed  about.  Nap 
kins  you  do  not  get,  and  instead,  you  are  obliged  to  make  use  of 
the  table-cloth.  With  the  exception  of  the  spoons,  there  is  HO 
•  silver  on  the  table;  the  forks  have  two  steel  prongs,  and  their 
handles,  like  those  of  the  knives,  are  of  buck's  horn.  It  is  an  ex 
cellent  rule,  that  no  one  on  departing  is  obliged  to  give  money  to 
the  servants. 

At  Utica,  seven  of  us  for  nine  dollars  hired  a  stage  to  visit  the 
Falls  of  Trenton,  distant  fourteen  miles.  Our  passengers  were 
partly  from  New  York,  and  partly  from  the  state  of  North  Ca 
rolina.  We  crossed  the  Mohawk  upon  a  covered  wooden 
bridge,  built  in  a  bad  and  awkward  manner,  on  which  I  observed 
an  advertisement,  "that  all  persons  who  pass  this  bridge  on  horse 
back  or  wagon  faster  than  a  walk,  shall  be  fined  one  dollar." 
After  this,  our  road  gradually  ascended  to  a  forest,  which  was, 
however,  in  part  cleared  for  new  fields.  The  timber  is  so  much 
neglected  here,  that  they  will  very  probably  feel  the  want  of  it 
in  less  than  fifty  years.  At  a  short  distance  from  the  falls  of 
West  Canada  Creek  is  a  new  tavern,  which  is  situated  in  a  lately 
cleared  forest,  and  is  built  entirely  of  wood.  At  this  tavern  we 
left  the  carriage,  and  went  on  foot  through  thick  woods,  from 
which  a  pair  of  stairs  conduct  to  the  falls.  A  new  pair  of  wooden 
stairs  of  about  eighty  steps,  built  for  the  accommodation  of  stran 
gers,  leads  to  the  bed  of  the  river.  This  consists  entirely  of  slate- 
rock,  is  about  two  hundred  feet  wide,  and  is  enclosed  between 
high  rocky  banks,  which  are  lined  by  beautiful  and  lofty  firs, 
arbor  vitse,  the  maple,  the  elm,  and  the  cedar.  This  beautiful 
mass  of  green,  the  azure  sky,  the  large  and  variegated  rocks,  and 
the  three  falls,  produce  a  most  happy  effect.  The  rocks  at  these 
falls,  which,  on  account  of  the  great  heat,  scarcely  extended  over 
half  the  river,  are  so  excavated  by  the  water,  that  they  have  the 
form  of  a  common  kettle.  The  upper  falls,  which  are  about  ninety 
feet  high,  are  the  grandest;  and  near  them,  under  the  shade  of  an 
arbor  vitx,  an  adventurer  has  established  a  small  tavern,  which 
presents  a  very  picturesque  appearance,  and  is  said  to  yield  con 
siderable  profit.  The  rocks  contain  handsome  petrifactions  of 
shells,  plants,  and  animals;  and  .we  saw  one  specimen  a  foot  and 
a  half  long,  which  resembled  a  young  alligator;  of  the  smaller 
ones  we  took  several  specimens.  At  the  tavern  where  we 
had  put  up,  we  found  a  tolerably  good  dinner,  and  towards 


67 

evening  returned  to  Utica.  The  day  was  fine  and  pleasant. 
The  thunder-storm  of  yesterday,  had  done  some  good.  I  re 
gretted  that  it  was  too  late  upon  our  return  to  Utica,  to  visit  a 
hydrostatic  lock,  designed  to  weigh  the  boats  which  pass  on  the 
canal. 

Having  seen  enough  of  the  canal,  and  being  anxious  to  see  the 
newly-settled  country  between  this  place  and  Niagara,  we  deter 
mined  to  continue  our  journey  on  the  next  day  in  the  stage-coach. 
With  this  intention  we  left  Utica  at  4  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the 
17th  of  August,  and  the  same  day  arrived  at  Auburn,  distant  se 
venty-three  miles.  The  stage-coaches  in  this  country  do  not,  as  in 
England,  travel  ten  miles  an  hour,  but  usually  six;  as  the  country 
is  generally  hilly,  and  the  coach,  when  it  carries  the  mail,  stops 
at  every  village  where  there  is  a  post-office,  on  account  of  the 
great  number  of  newspapers;  the  letter-bag  must  be  taken  out, 
opened,  again  locked,  and  then  returned;  the  coachmen  also  are 
not  very  punctual,  so  that  travelling  is  not  so  rapid  as  it  should 
be.  The  villages  between  Utica  and  Auburn  were  New  Hart 
ford,  four  miles,  Manchester,  five  miles,  Vernon,  eight  miles, 
Oneida,  five  miles,  Lenox,  four  miles,  Sullivan,  eight  miles, 
Manlius,  six  miles,  Jamesville,  five  miles,  Onandago  Hollow, 
five  miles,  Onandaga  Hill,  two  miles,  Marcellus,  eight  miles, 
and  Skeheatelass,  six  miles. 

Between  Manchester  and  Vernon  day  dawned,  and  we  found 
ourselves  in  a,  rather  wild  country,  in  the  midst  of  a  wilder 
ness.  Oneida  is  an  Indian  settlement,  and  was  built  by  the  rem 
nant  of  the  once  mighty  Oneida  tribe,  who,  unlike  their  coun 
trymen,  unwilling  to  fly  before  the  white  settlers  to  the  west,  arc 
at  present  a  wretched  people,  despised  and  oppressed  by  their 
neighbours  like  a  gang  of  gypsies.  They  have  been  obliged  to  learn 
trades,  and  to  labour  on  farms;  they  have  also  been  converted  to 
Christianity  by  means  of  missionaries,  and  of  whom  the  principal 
one  is  a  Mr.  Williams,  a  converted  Indian,  educated  by  the 
Quakers.  On  entering  the  village  we  observed  on  a  little  emi 
nence  to  the  left,  a  small,  neat,  frame  church,  where  the  Indians 
hold  their  service,  and  close  by,  an  open  plain,  surrounded  by 
butternut  trees,  called  "  Council  Grove"  where  the  elders  of 
the  tribe  assemble  to  deliberate  on  their  most  important  affairs. 
The  houses  of  the  Indians  are  scattered  through  the  fields,  are 
generally  small,  and  built  of  logs.  In  the  centre  of  the  village 
are  white  settlers,  mechanics  aftd  tavern-keepers;  the  latter  of 
whom  in  particular  make  out  well,  as  the  Indians  are  fond  of 
strong  drink.  The  land  belongs  to  the  whole  tribe,  and  each  in 
dividual  labours  for  the  common  good.  We  observed  several 
Indians  along  the  road.  They  had  a  tawny  complexion,  and 
black  hair;  the  men  appeared  to  be  well  built,  and  the  women 


68 

were  stout,  and  resemble  the  pictures  of  Esquimaux  women  in 
Parry's  Travels.  Some  of  them  wore  their  hair  down,  which, 
if  possible,  increased  their  ugliness.  Both  the  men  and  wo 
men  wear  trowsers,  generally  of  blue,  and  ornamented  with 
white  lace;  sometimes  also  of  two  colours,  like  the  prisoners  at 
Boston.  The  men  wear  shirts  over  their  trowsers,  and  great 
coats  of  cloth.  The  women  dress  in  white  or  blue  woollen  man 
tles.  At  first,  I  thought  myself  in  civilized  Europe,  for  a  great 
number  of  children  came  along  the  carriage  to  beg,  a  circumstance 
which  had  not  occurred  since  my  arrival  in  the  United  States.  It 
was  soon  ascertained,  however,  that  they  were  Indian  children, 
dressed  somewhat  like  their  parents,  and  of  the  same  complexion. 
The  girls  had  brass  buckles  on  their  cloaks,  which  fastened  in 
front,  and  most  of  them  wore  large  bead  necklaces. 

Behind  this  village  the  road  led  along  a  considerable  hill,  from 
which  we  had  a  beautiful  view  of  Oneida  Lake,  which  present 
ed  the  appearance  of  a  large  stream.  Here  you  have  a  number  of 
extensive  prospects,  which,  however,  as  you  see  but  little  culti 
vated  land  and  few  houses,  is  rather  uniform.  Farther  on  we  saw 
a  small  lake  called  Salt  Lake,  which  is  in  the  midst  of  a  forest, 
and  has  ou  its  banks  three  picturesquely  situated  towns,  Liver 
pool,  Salina,  and  Syracuse.  At  Salina  are  rich  salt  springs, 
the  water  of  which  is  collected  in  reservoirs,  and  it  is  evaporated 
by  the  heat  of  the  sun  to  procure  the  salt.  Beyond  Sullivan  we 
passed  through  the  village  of  Chitteningo.  It  contains  several 
mills,  a  cotton  factory,  and  a  branch  of  the  Erie  Canal,  which 
forms  a  kind  of  harbour,  and  serves  as  a  landing  place  for  arti 
cles  manufactured  here,  and  for  the  plaster  and  lime  which  are 
procured  in  the  neighbourhood.  This  lime  becomes  hard  under 
water,  so  that  it  is  excellently  adapted  to  waterworks.  We  dined 
at  Manlius,  a  new  village,  containing  two  churches.  Besides 
the  usual  stage-coach  there  were  two  others  to-day,  all  full  of 
passengers.  In  our  own  we  had  for  a  short  distance  a  farmer,  a 
descendant  of  a  German  emigrant,  who  spoke  the  language  that 
was  used  in  Germany  about  a  hundred  years  ago.  He  thought 
my  German  was  too  high,  and  that  I  spoke  it  like  a  parson.  From 
the  canal  which  forms  an  angle  here,  we  drove  in  a  southerly  di 
rection,  in  order  to  keep  on  the  plains,  as  the  main  road,  which 
is  nearer,  leads  over  a  hill.  The  two  Onondago  villages  ap 
pear  to  be  flourishing  manufacturing  places,  and  are  pleasantly 
situated.  Marcellus  is  also  a  new' village  and  has  two  churches. 
Most  of  the  small  villages  have  two  churches,  an  Episcopal  and 
a  Presbyterian.  In  each  of  them,  and  even  at  the  Indian  village, 
there  is  a  school.  In  several  of  the  villages  also  I  had  the  plea 
sure  of  seeing  bookstores.  Beyond  Marcellus  the  night  unfor- 
unately  closed  in,  which  prevented  me  from  seeing  Sk&eatelto 


69 

Lake,  as  well  as  the  town  of  the  same  name,  which  is  said  to  be 
extremely  pleasantly  situated  on  one  of  its  banks.  About  nine 
o'clock  in  the  evening  we  arrived  at  Auburn,  and  found  good 
accommodations  at  one  of  the  public  houses.  This  town 
contains  upwards  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  houses,  a  court-house 
and  penitentiary,  which  is  said  to  be  managed  in  a  very  excel 
lent  manner.  To  my  regret  I  saw  none  of  them ;  for  at  four 
o'clock  the  next  morning,  18th  of  August,  we  set  out  in  the 
stage-coach  for  Rochester,  distant  sixty-nine  miles.  The  villages 
which  we  passed  on  our  route  were,  Cayuga,  nine  miles,  Se 
neca  Falls,  three  miles,  Waterloo,  five  miles,  Geneva,  six 
miles,  Canandaigua,  sixteen  miles,  Mendon,  fifteen  miles,  Pitts- 
ford,  seven  miles,  from  which  latter  it  was  yet  eight  miles  to 
Rochester. 

It  was  just  daylight  as  we  arrived  in  the  vicinity  of  Cayuga, 
on  the  lake  of  the  same  name,  which  is  about  twenty  miles  long, 
and  from  one  to  three  wide.  This  lake  empties  into  the  Seneca 
river,  which  afterwards  unites  with  the  Mohawk.  We  crossed 
the  lake  not  far  from  its  mouth,  on  a  wooden  bridge,  one  mile  in 
length,  eighteen  yards  wide,  and  built  in  a  very  rough  and  care 
less  manner:  the  planks  are  loose  and  the  ch&vaux-de-frise  is  in 
a  bad  condition.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  lake  is  a  large  toll 
house.  At  a  short  distance  from  this  we  arrived  at  Seneca  Falls, 
so  called  in  consequence  of  the  little  falls  of  the  Seneca  river, 
which  are  close  by,  and  are  chiefly  formed  by  a-  mill-dam.  At 
the  tavern  we  met  an  Indian  and  his  wife,  of  the  Oneida  tribe, 
who  were  going  on  a  visit  to  the  Senecas.  We  conversed  with 
the  man,  who  had  been  at  school,  and  understood  English.  He 
told  us  that  he  had  been  raised  by  a  Quaker  missionary,  and  that 
he  was  a  farmer,  and  concluded  by  asking  for  a  little  money, 
which  he  probably  spent  with  his  ugly  wife  at  the  next  grog 
shop. 

All  the  villages  through  which  we  passed  are  quite  new,  and 
in  many  places  we  passed  through  primitive  forests,  which,  in- 
some  places,  they  are  just  beginning  to  clear.  At  Waterloo  the 
first  house  was  erected  in  1816,  and  at  present  it  has  two  churches 
and  about  three  thousand  inhabitants.  Several  of  the  houses  are 
built  of  brick,  and  contain  well  furnished  stores.  At  the  tavern 
we  saw  a  large,  beautiful  young  eagle,  which  had  been  caught  in 
his  nest  and  tamed.  The  country  beyond  Waterloo  was  boggy, 
and  the  road  in  some  places  made  of  large  logs,  so  that  we- 
were  very  disagreeably  jolted.  Geneva  is  situated  at  the  north 
point  of  Seneca  Lake,  which  is  between  fifty  and  sixty  miles  long 
and  about  five  wide.  The  town  derives  its  name  from  its  simi 
larity  of  situation  to  Geneva  in  Switzerland.  It  is  also  quite  new, 
and  contains  about  four  thousand  inhabitants,  It  has  two  churches 


70 

and  several  large  stone  and  brick  houses,  of  which  the  Franklin 
Hotel,  situated  on  the  bank  of  the  lake,  is  the  most  spacious  and 
beautiful.  I  went  into  a  bookstore  to  ascertain  what  kind  of  books 
were  most  sold  in  this  part  of  the  country,  and  was  told  that  the 
ancient  classics  and  religious  books  found  the  most  ready  sale; 
sometimes  also  novels,  law  and  medical  works.  The  college  is 
said  to  have  several  hundred  students.  In  front  of  the  town  along 
the  lake,  there  are  beautiful  country  seats  and  gardens.  On 
the  other  side  of  the  town  the  woods  are  but  a  short  distance 
from  the  houses,  and  are  as  yet  not  much  cleared.  We  saw,  how 
ever,  several  tracts  of  timber  on  fire;  the  trees  are  burnt  in  order 
to  clear  the  land. 

Canandaigua,  which  lies  on  the  north  point  of  the  lake  of 
the  same  name,  which  is  about  twenty  miles  long,  is  an  extremely 
beautiful  and  pleasant  town,  that  has  been  but  lately  settled.  The 
Duke  de  la  Rochefoucault  says,  that  during  his  travels  in  Ame 
rica,  in  1790,  there  was  but  a  single  house  on  this  lake,  in  which 
he  spent  the  night,  in  a  garret  used  as  a  store-room.  Now  it  is 
a  beautiful  commercial  town,  having  one  bank,  a  court-house, 
and  a  very  superior  tavern.  The  court  was  sitting,  and  there 
was  a  large  collection  of  people,  so  that  the  town  exhibited  a  very 
lively  appearance.  At  this  place  the  road  separates,  the  left  goes 
through  Batavia  and  several  small  villages  to  Buffalo  on  Lake 
Erie;  the  right,  to  Rochester,  and  thence  to  Lake  Ontario  and 
the  Falls  of  Niagara:  and  as  this  road  again  approaches  the 
Erie  canal,  it  is  said  to  be  the  most  interesting.  On  this  account 
we  gave  it  the  preference,  although  the  longest  route. 

We  left  Canandaigua  in  the  afternoon,  and  rode  through 
Victor,  Mcndon,  and  Pittsford,  to  Rochester.  On  this  route 
we  observed  nothing  particularly  interesting,  excepting  several 
new  settlements;  the  inhabitants  of 'which  resided  in  log-houses, 
which  had  a  peculiar,  but  by  no  means  an  unpleasant  aspect.  I 
was  particularly  pleased  with  the  neat  and  decent  appearance  of 
the  inhabitants. 

We  arrived  at  Rochester  at  half  past  eight  o'clock  in  the  even 
ing,  and  took  lodgings  at  the  Eagle  Tavern.  We  crossed  the 
Genesee  river,  which  divides  Rochester  into  two  parts,  on  a 
wooden  bridge,  the  first  that  we  had  hitherto  met  in  the  United 
States  that  was  built  firmly  and  properly.  It  rests  upon  stone 
piers,  and  is  made  of  solid  beams,  with  thick  and  well  fasten 
ed  planks.  The  next  morning  we  walked  through  the  town, 
and  were  pleased  with  its  rapid  increase.  In  1812,  there  was  not 
a  single  house  here;  nothing  but  a  wilderness;  and  the  land  could 
e  purchased  at  one  dollar  and  twenty-five  cents  per  acre.  At 
present,  Rochester  is  one  of  the  most  flourishing  towns  in  the 
state  of  New  York.  It  contains  four  churches,  one  bank,  a  court 


71 

house,  and  about  four  thousand  inhabitants.    Many  of  the  houses 
are  built  of  blue  limestone,  and  of  brick.    The  town  contains  se 
veral  mills  and  manufactories;  and  amongst  others,  a  nail  factory, 
in  which  the  nails  are  made  with  a  machine,  as  in  Birmingham. 
They  also  manufacture  rifle-guns,  which  are  very  long  and  heavy. 
On  the  right  bank  of  the  Genesee  river,  the  houses  are  not  so  nu 
merous  as  on  the  left,  and  there  are  yet  many  frame,  and  even 
some  log-houses:  in  the  place  where,  probably  in  a  short  time, 
handsome  wharves  will  be  built,  there  may  yet  be  seen  stumps 
of  trees — a  truly  interesting  sight  to  those  who  observe  the  pro 
gress  of  this  country.  The  basements  of  the  houses  are  generally 
built  of  rough  sand-stone;  their  corners,  doors,  and  windows,  of 
a  kind  of  white  marble-like  sand-stone,  and  the  rest  of  brick. 
The  white  sand-stone  is  procured  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  is 
cut  into  slabs  at  a  saw-mill  on  the  Genesee  river.    I  saw  three  of 
these  blocks  sawed;  and  in  one  frame  I  observed  no  less  than  five 
saws.     Several   hundred   yards  below  the  bridge  the  Genesee 
river  is  about  two  hundred  yards  wide,  and  has  a  fall  of  ninety- 
five  feet,  which  at  present,  however,  did  not  appear  to  much  ad 
vantage.     Above  the  falls  is  a  race  which  conducts  the  water  to 
several  mills,  and  it  again  flows  into  the  river  below  the  falls, 
where  it  forms  three  beautiful  cascades,  which  reminded  me  of 
the  Villa  di  Macen,  at  Tivoli. 

At  Rochester  the  Erie  canal  is  carried  over  the  Genesee  river 
by  a  stone  aqueduct  bridge,  and  resembles  that  of  the  Bridge- 
water  canal  at  Manchester,  in  England.  This  aqueduct,  which 
is  about  one  thousand  yards  above  the  falls,  rests  upon  a  base  of 
slate  rock,  and  is  seven  hundred  and  eighty  feet  long.  A  work 
which  has  been  lately  published,  called  the  "Northern  Tour," 
gives  the  following  description  of  it:  "  The  aqueduct  consists  of 
eleven  broad  arches,  built  in  the  form  of  circular  segments,  the 
tops  of  which  are  raised  eleven  feet  above  the  level  of  the  arches, 
and  fifteen  feet  above  that  of  the  water  in  the  river.  The  two  ex 
terior  arches  have  an  extent  of  forty  feet  each,  and  beneath  them 
are  the  streams  which  turn  the  mills;  the  other  nine  each  fifty 
feet  wide,  &c."  Upon  one  of  its  sides  is  a  tow-path  secured  by 
iron  railings.  The  whole  is  a  solid  work,  and  does  much  credit 
to  its  architect,  Benjamin  Wright. 

We  left  Rochester  at  nine  o'clock,  on  board  the  canal  packet- 
boat  Ohio,  Captain  Storch.  The  canal,  between  Lockport  and 
Rochester,  runs  a  distance  of  sixty-three  miles,  through  a  tolera 
bly  level  country,  and  north  of  the  Rochester  ridge.  This  ridge 
consists  of  a  series  of  rocks,  which  form  the  chain  of  the  moun 
tains  which  commences  north  of  Lake  Erie,  stretches  eastward 
to  the  Niagara  river,  confines  it,  and  forms  its  falls,  then  con 
tinues  its  course,  and  forms  the  different  falls  which  are  north  of 


72 

Lake  Ontario,  and  is  at  length  lost  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
Hudson.  It  has  only  been  within  the  last  year  that  this  part  of 
the  canal  has  been  passable;  its  course  is  through  dense  sombre 
forests,  in  which  are  but  few  settlements,  such  as  Spencer's  Ba 
sin,  Bates,  and  Brickport.  The  bridges  are  better  and  higher 
than  those  we  have  mentioned  in  the  preceding  pages.  Amongst 
our  passengers,  was  a  Mr.  Bosch,  a  Dutch  clergyman  from  Cu- 
ragao,  and  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Sluiter  and  Wykoff,  from  New 
York.  These  gentlemen,  being  of  Dutch  descent,  the  conversa 
tion  was  generally  carried  on  in  their  native  tongue.  Captain 
Storch  also,  who  is  a  native  of  Amsterdam,  and  a  Jew  by  birth, 
who  has  travelled  extensively,  made  the  time  pass  very  pleasant 
ly,  by  his  lively  disposition,  and  his  agreeable  conversation.  Both 
before  and  after  dinner,  as  well  as  at  tea,  the  two  clergymen 
from  New  York,  asked  a  blessing;  and  before  we  retired  to  bed, 
one  of  them  read  several  chapters  in  the  Bible,  and  then  made  a 
long  prayer. 

We  reached  Lockport  on  the  20th  of  August,  about  7  o'clock 
in  the  morning.  At  this  place  the  canal  is  carried  over  the  ridge 
by  five  large  locks,  through  which  the  water  is  raised  to  the  height 
of  seventy -six  feet.  The  locks  are  ten  in  number,  being  arranged 
in  two  parallel  rows,  so  that  while  the  boats  ascend  in  one  row, 
they  may  descend  at  the  same  time  in  the  other.  Through  this 
arrangement  the  navigation  is  greatly  facilitated,  and  the  whole 
work,  hewn  through  and  surrounded  by  large  rocks,  presents  an 
imposing  aspect. 

Lockport,  to  which  we  repaired,  while  the  boat  was  left  in  the 
basin  at  the  foot  of  the  locks,  is  an  extremely  interesting  place, 
and  is  situated  just  above  the  locks.  In  May,  1821,  it  consisted 
of  two  log-houses;  at  present  it  contains  not  less  than  six  hundred, 
some  of  which  are  stone  houses:  it  contains  a  post-office,  one 
printing-office,  which  issues  a  weekly  paper,  and  two  churches. 
Though  at  present  Lockport  appears  perfectly  wild,  yet  this  ap 
pearance  will  no  doubt  vanish  in  the  course  of  four  or  five  years, 
so  that  it  will  present  as  splendid  an  appearance  as  Canandaigua 
and  Rochester.  On  our  arrival,  the  canal  was  still  unfinished 
for  about  five  miles;  but  it  was  supposed  that  the  whole  would  be 
completed  before  the  close  of  the  year.  They  were  obliged  to  cut 
it  through  solid  rock,  generally  about  thirty  feet  deep,  for  a  dis 
tance  of  more  than  three  miles.  This  was  mostly  effected  by- 
blasting.  Several  hundred  Irishmen  were  at  work.  They  reside 
in  log  huts,  built  along  the  canal.  They  make  much  money;  but 
they  suffer  also  severely  in  consequence  of  the  unhealthy  climate, 
especially  from  fevers,  which  not  unfrequently  prove  fatal.  The 
stone,  which  is  quarried,  is  employed  in  building  houses,  and  in 
making  turnpikes.  *  In  breaking  the  rocks  they  often  find  beau- 


73 

tiful  petrifactions,  and  other  remarkable  minerals;  for  example, 
strontian,  and  beautiful  transparent  gypsum.  I  saw  a  large 
petrified  tree,  and  a  handsome  petrified  sea-coral. 

At  Lockport  we  took  a  dearborn  for  Buffalo,  where  we  were 
anxious  to  go,  in  order  to  see  the  union  of  the  canal  with  Lake 
Erie.     Though  a  good  stage  runs  betwreen  Lockport  and  the 
Falls  of  Niagara,  we  went  in  this  bad  vehicle  five  miles,  to  the 
navigable  part  of  the  canal.     The  road  led  through  the  forest, 
the  trees  of  which  had  been  felled  along  the  canal,  and  passed 
over  the  stumps,  so  that  it  was  uncommonly  rough,  especially  as 
it  had  rained  the  day  before.    Arrived  at  length  at  the  navigable 
part  of  the  canal,  we  took  passage  on  board  a  rather  bad  boat, 
where  nothing  was  to  be  had  but  the  common  cordial,  whiskey. 
The  village  where  we  went  on  board,  is  called   Cottensburgh, 
and  is  quite  a  new  settlement.    At  this  place  also  the  canal  is  cut 
through  rocks  to  the  depth  of  about  thirty  feet.     About  two  or 
three  miles  farther  on,  it  terminates  in  the  Tonnawanta  Creek, 
which  serves  as  a  canal  for  twelve  miles.  This  creek  has  scarcely 
any  outlet,  so  that  when  it  rises  much,  they  are  obliged  to  pro 
tect  the  canal  by  means  of  safety -locks  near  its  union  with  the 
creek.     At  the  outlet  of  the  creek  into  the  Niagara  is  a  sluice  for 
the  purpose  of  keeping  the  water  always  at  a  certain  height.   The 
creek  itself  is  about  fifty  yards  wide,  and  runs  through  a  dense 
and  beautiful  forest,  which  has  never  been  touched  by  the  axe, 
except  along  the  canal,  where  they  have  been  obliged  to  make  a 
tow-path.   I  sat  in  the  bow  of  the  boat  during  the  whole  passage. 
Nothing  interrupted  the  solemn  silence,  except  the  chattering  of 
the  boatmen's  teeth,  who  are  often  severely  affected  in  this  un 
healthy  part  of  the  country,  with  the  intermittent  fever.   Another 
small   river,    called  Eleven-mile  Creek,  unites  with  the  main 
river,  and  not  far  from  this  junction  was  the  site  for  the  new 
town  of  Tonnawanta.     A  few  small  houses  and  a  saw-mill  were 
already  erected ;  the  inhabitants  appeared  also  to  suffer  much  from 
the  intermittent  fever.     Here   the   Tonnawanta   Creek,   unites 
with  the  Niagara,  where  the  sluice  which  we  have  just  mention 
ed  leads  off.     At  this  place  also   we  had  the  first  view  of  the 
Niagara  river,  which  conveys  the  waters   of  Lake   Erie   into 
Lake  Ontario,  from  the  other  extremity  of  which  flows  the  St. 
Lawrence.      In    the  river   we   observed    Grand  Island,   which 
contains  about  one  thousand  one  hundred  acres,  is  overgrown  with 
timber,  and  belongs  to  a  New  York  editor,  Moses  Mordecai  Noah, 
a  Jew,  who  purchased  it  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  Jew 
ish  colony.    The  soil  is  very  good ;  during  the  late  war  between 
England  and  the  United  States,  the  Niagara,  it  is  well  known, 
formed  the  boundary  line  between  them  and  the  British  provinces 
of  Upper  Canada,  and  this  island  bore  testimony  of  the  bloody  con- 
VOL.  I.  10 


74 

flict.  From  this  place,  the  canal  runs  along  the  bank  of  the  Nia 
gara,  from  which  it  is  separated  only  by  a  small  bank,  built  ra 
ther  carelessly,  and  several  feet  above  the  level  of  the  river, 
which  is  already  somewhat  rapid  on  account  of  its  vicinity  to  the 
falls.  On  the  Tonnawanta  Creek  we  saw  several  canoes  which 
were  made  by  excavating  the  trunks  of  trees.  From  Tonnawanta 
to  Buffalo  it  is  eight  miles,  five  of  which  we  travelled  on  the 
canal  as  far  as  Black  Rock.  A  basin  is  formed  here  by  means 
of  a  dam  situated  near  Squaw  Island,  on  which  is  a  lock  com 
municating  with  the  Niagara.  The  whole  of  this  work  is  of 
wood,  and  cannot  therefore  be  expected  to  be  very  durable.  In 
the  basin  lay  the  new  steam-boat  Henry  Clay,  of  three  hundred 
tons,  intended  for  running  on  Lake  Erie.  We  had  here  the  first 
view  of  the  lake,  whose  shore  appeared  to  be  overgrown  with 
wood.  The  other  shore  of  course  we  could  not  see,  and  it  seem 
ed  therefore  as  though  we  were  looking  into  an  expanded  sea. 
The  canal  to  Buffalo  not  being  completed,  we  again  took  stage 
at  Black  Rock,  and  rode  three  miles  to  the  former  town,  where 
we  arrived  at  about  5  o'clock  at  evening,  and  took  lodgings  at 
the  Mansion  House,  pleasantly  situated  on  a  little  eminence  in 
the  lake. 

Buffalo  was  burnt  during  the  late  war,  by  the  British,  but  R 
has  arisen  from  its  ashes  with  increased  beauty.  The  town  con 
tains  about  five  thousand  inhabitants,  and  will,  in  consequence 
of  its  situation  near  the  mouth  of  the  canal  and  its  harbour,  at 
which  they  are  hard  at  work,  soon  become  an  important  place. 
At  the  entrance  of  the  harbour  is  a  light-house,  and  on  the 
lake  we  observed  several  schooners  of  about  three  hundred  tons. 
A  steam-boat,  called  the  Superior,  was  ready  to  start  with  fifty 
passengers  to  Erie,  and  thence  to  Detroit.  In  the  streets,  we 
saw  some  tolerably  well-dressed  Indians  of  the  Seneca  tribe, 
who  have  their  wigwam  three  miles  distant.  Amongst  them 
were  several  women,  who  indeed,  but  for  their  complexion,  might 
have  been  considered  handsome.  We  also  had  an  amusing  mi 
litary  spectacle.  It  consisted  of  a  militia  parade,  consisting  of 
thirty  men,  including  seven  officers  and  two  cornets.  They  were 
formed,  like  a  battalion,  into  six  divisions,  and  performed  a 
number  of  manoeuvres.  The  members  were  not  all  provided 
with  muskets,  but  had  ramrods  instead.  Only  the  officers  and 
the  rifle-company,  four  men  strong,  were  in  uniform.  The  band 
consisted  of  sixteen  men,  and  was  commanded  by  an  officer  with 
a  colonel's  epaulets  and  drawn  sword! 

On  the  following  day,  21st  of  August,  we  left  Buffalo  for  the 
small  village  of  Manchester,  twenty-three  miles  distant,  and  si 
tuated  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Niagara,  near  the  falls.  As  far 
as  the  village  of  Tonnawanta  the  road  passed  along  the  canal. 


75 

It  was  in  a  very  bad  condition,  cut  through  the  forest,  and  no 
pains  have  been  taken  to  remove  the  trees,  which  are  thrown  on 
the  road  side,  and  the  most  beautiful  trunks  are  permitted  to  spoil 
in  a  pitiable  manner.  On  the  left  we  had  a  view  of  the  river  and 
of  Grand-Island,  thickly  studded  with  timber.  The  river  is 
more  than  one  mile  wide  below  the  island.  On  the  Canada  side 
is  the  village  of  Chippewa.  From  this  place,  a  distance  of  three 
miles,  we  could  already  see  the  rising  vapours  of  the  falls.  The 
water,  however,  indicated  no  signs  of  the  approach  to  the  preci 
pice.  It  is  only  a  short  distance  from  Manchester,  where  you 
perceive  the  lofty  trees  on  Goat-Island  with  its  heights,  situated 
in  the  midst  of  the  falls,  that  the  river  becomes  rocky,  and  the 
rapids  commence;  these  form  a  number  of  small  falls,  which  are 
nearly  a  mile  long  and  the  same  in  breadth,  running  as  far  as 
where  the  two  great  falls  are  separated  by  Goat-Island. 

At  Manchester,  we  took  lodgings  at  the  Eagle  Tavern,  and 
hastened  immediately  to  the  Falls:  our  steps  were  guided  by  their 
mighty  roaring.  In  a  few  moments  we  stood  near  the  precipice, 
and  saw  before  us  the  immense  mass  of  water  which  rushes  with 
a  tremendous  noise  into  the  frightful  abyss  below.  It  is  impos 
sible  to  describe  the  scene,  and  the  pen  is  too  feeble  to  delineate 
the  simultaneons  feelings  of  insignificence  and  grandeur  which 
agitate  the  human  breast  at  the  sight  of  this  stupendous  work  of 
nature !  We  can  only  gaze,  admire,  and  adore.  The  rocks  on 
both  sides  are  perpendicular,  but  there  is  a  wooden  staircase  which 
leads  to  the  bed  of  the  river.  We  descended,  but  in  consequence 
of  the  drizzly  rain  which  is  produced  by  the  foam  of  the  water, 
we  had  by  no  means  so  fine  a  prospect  from  below  as  we  antici 
pated.  On  this  account,  therefore,  we  soon  ascended  and  satis 
fied  ourselves  by  looking  from  above  upon  this  sublime  and  ma 
jestic  sight.  As  we  returned,  full  of  these  mighty  impressions, 
to  the  Eagle  Tavern  we  found  to  our  great  joy  a  fine  oppor 
tunity  of  speaking  of  the  grandeur  and  magnificence  we  had  just 
beheld.  Lieutenants  De  Goer  and  Van  Vloten,  of  the  Pallas, 
had  just  arrived  to  render  homage  to  this  great  natural  curiosity. 

In  company  with  these  gentlemen  we  took  a  walk  to  Goat- 
Island,  by  a  convenient  wooden  bridge,  thrown  over  the  ra 
pids  about  seven  years  since.  The  first  bridge  leads  to  a  small . 
island  called  Bath-Island,  which  contains  a  bath-house  and  bil 
liard-room:  the  second  to  Goat-Island,  which  is  about  one  mile 
in  circumference,  and  overgrown  with  old  and  beautiful  trees. 
The  Indians  who  formerly  resided  in  this  part  of  the  country, 
considered  the  island  as  sacred.  The^  used  to  say  that  the 
Great  Manito  or  Great  Spirit  inhabited  it.  And  in  fact,  how 
could  the  Great  Spirit  manifest  himself  more  irresistibly  than  in 
the  destructive  might  of  the  tremendous  Falls? 


76 

On  Bath-Island  a  person  may  approach  so  near  to  the  Ame 
rican  falls  as  to  look  into  the  abyss  below.  The  animals  in 
the  neighbourhood  are  so  careless  of  this,  that  the  cows  and 
horses  go  ink)  the  river  to  drink  within  five  yards  of  the  brink 
of  the  precipice.  From  the  foot  of  the  falls  you  can  see  nothing 
of  the  abyss,  inasmuch  as  every  thing  is  concealed  by  the  foam 
and  vapour.  On  Goat-Island  a  person  may  in  the  same  manner 
approach  the  Canadian  falls,  in  the  centre  of  which  is  a  semi 
circular  hollow,  called  the  Horse-shoe,  and  here  the  noise  is  still 
more  tremendous  than  on  the  other  side.  The  vapour  which  rises 
from  the  Horse-shoe  forms  a  thick  mist,  which  may  be  seen  at  a 
great  distance.  To  look  into  the  Horse-shoe  is  awful  and  horrible. 
Nor  can  this  be  done  but  at  the  instant  when  the  vapour  is  somewhat 
dissipated.  You  stand  like  a  petrified  being.  The  level  of  Lake 
Erie  is  said  to  be  five  hundred  and  sixty-four  feet  above  that  of 
the  sea,  and  three  hundred  and  thirty-four  feet  above  the  waters 
of  Lake  Ontario.  Lake  Ontario  is  consequently  two  hundred 
and  thirty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  From  Lake  Erie  to 
the  rapids  the  water  has  a  fall  of  fifteen  feet,  in  the  rapids  fifty- 
seven  feet,  and  according  to  a  recent  measurement,  the  falls  on 
the  American  side  are  one  hundred  and  sixty-two  feet  high. 
From  this  place  to  Lewistown  the  river  has  a  fall  of  one  hun 
dred  and  four  feet,  and  thence  to  Lake  Ontario,  of  two  feet. 

The  next  morning,  22d  of  August,  we  made  another  visit  to 
Goat-Island.  We  afterwards  descended  the  stairs  to  the  river, 
which  we  crossed  in  a  small  boat,  at  a  short  distance  from  both 
falls.  The  bed  of  the  river  is  said  to  be  here  two  hundred  and 
forty-six  feet  deep.  The  current  passes  beneath  the  surface  of 
the  water,  and  does  not  again  become  visible  till  after  a  distance 
of  three  miles.  On  the  Canada  side  you  have  a  much  better  view 
of  the  falls  than  on  the  American,  for  you  see  both  falls  at  the 
same  time.  There  is  on  the  Canada  side  a  covered  wooden  stair 
case,  which  we  ascended,  and  approached  the  falls,  amidst  a 
constant  drizzling  caused  by  the  falling  water.  The  sun  threw 
his  rays  upon  the  thick  mist  and  formed  a  beautiful  rainbow.  An 
other  winding  staircase  leads  down  the  rocks  near  the  falls,  under 
which  you  may  walk  to  the  distance  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
feet;  several  of  the  gentlemen  present  went  in,  but  according  to 
their  report  they  could  not  see  any  thing.  I  was  contented 
therefore  to  behold  the  falls  from  Table  rock,  which  almost 
overhangs  them.  A  part  of  this  rock  gave  way  several  years  ago 
and  fell  down  the  precipice,  and  the  remaining  part  is  so  much 
undermined  by  the  water  that  it  will  probably  soon  follow.  The 
whole  distance  from  the  American  to  the  British  shore  is  four 
teen  hundred  yards,  of  which  three  hundred  and  eighty  belong- 
to  the  American  falls,  three  hundred  and  thirty  to  Goat-Island, 
and  seven  hundred  yards  to  the  Canada  or  Horse-shoe  falls.  On 


77 

the  British  side,  opposite  to  the  falls  are  two  taverns,  in  the 
larger  of  which,  Forsyth's  Hotel,  we  took  lodgings  until  the  next 
day,  when  we  intended  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  governor  of  Upper 
Canada,  Sir  Peregrine  Maitland,  who  resides  at  his  country 
seat  within  a  few  miles  of  the  falls.  During  the  late  war  abridge 
was  thrown  over  the  river  about  one  mile  above  this  tavern, 
which,  together  with  a  mill,  was  burnt  by  the  Americans  on 
their  retreat  from  the  battle  of  Lundy's  Lane.  A  few  years  ago 
a  burning  spring  was  discovered  here,  several  of  which  are  said 
to  occur  in  different  parts  of  the  United  States.  It  is  surrounded 
by  a  cask,  and  contains  a  cold  water  of  a  blackish,  slimy  ap 
pearance,  and  of  a  sulphurous  taste.  Within  th*s  cask  is  a  small 
vessel  which  is  open  at  the  bottom,  and  has  a  pipe  at  its  upper 
end.  If  a  lighted  candle  be  held  within  a  foot  of  the  mouth  of 
this  pipe,  it  will  instantly  produce  a  strong  flame,  similar  to  a 
gas-light.  If  the  vessel  be  taken  out,  and  the  candle  be  held  over 
the  surface  of  the  water,  it  will  produce  the  same  effect,  but  the 
flame  will  soon  disappear.  In  the  neighbourhood  of  Forsyth's 
Hotel  is  the  only  point  from  which  you  have  a  full  view  of  both 
falls  at  the  same  time,  which,  however,  is  often  interrupted  by 
the  ascending  vapour. 

On  our  return  to  the  American  shore,  we  examined  a  camera 
obscura  which  is  situated  at  the  head  of  the  American  staircase, 
and  was  built  by  a  Swiss.  This  gives  a  tolerably  good  view  of 
the  falls.  Afterwards  we  took  a  ride  to  the  Whirlpool,  which 
is  three  miles  down  the  Niagara,  and  is  formed  by  a  kind  of 
rocky  basin  where  the  river  runs  between  narrow  rocky  banks. 
It  is  singular  to  see  this  confusion  of  the  water,  whose  appearance 
cannot  be  better  described  than  by  comparing  it  with  the  flowing 
of  melted  lead.  The  lofty  rocks  which  form  the  banks  of  this 
river,  are  beautifully  covered  with  wood  and  present  a  stately, 
majestic  appearance.  In  the  evening  I  again  went  to  Goat-Isl 
and  in  order  to  view  the  falls  by  bright  moonlight:  in  this  light 
they  produce  a  very  peculiarly  beautiful  effect,  which  is  greatly 
heightened  by  a  moon-rainbow. 

The  following  day,  23d  August,  all  our  company  departed;  my 
friend  Tromp  and  myself  alone  remained.  We  went  to  the  other 
side  of  the  river,  and  took  lodgings  at  Forsyth's  Hotel,  where 
we  found  Sir  Michael  and  Lady  Clare,  from  Jamaica,  where 
Sir  Michael  is  a  member  of  parliament:  he  was  making  a  tour  of 
pleasure,  with  his  lady,  through  the  United  States.  I  also  became 
acquainted  with  a  Mr.  Grymes,  of  Virginia,  who  was  formerly 
attorney  general  of  the  state  of  Louisiana,  and  is  married  to  the 
widow  of  the  late  Governor  Claiborne,  a  beautiful  and  wealthy 
creole.  As  this  family  were  also  going  on  a  tour  to  Canada, 
I  hoped  to  travel  with  them.  Mrs.  Grymes  spoke  French, 


78 

a  circumstance  which  was  exceedingly  agreeable  on  account  of 
the  facility  with  which  I  could  converse  with  her.  I  also  found 
the  son  and  adjutant  of  the  governor,  Sir  Peregrine  Maitland, 
who  had  been  sent  by  his  father,  to  await  my  arrival.  In  a  short 
time  after,  this  worthy  general  came  himself  to  pay  me  a  visit, 
and  offer  me  a  room  in  his  cottage,  four  miles  off.  This  I  re 
fused,  but  on  the  evening  of  the  following  day,  I  rode  to  Sir 
Peregrine's  in  company  with  Sir  Michael  and  Lady  Clare. 
The  road  went  over  the  battle-ground  at  Lundy's  Lane,  (25th 
July,  1814,)  which  is  situated  upon  a  gentle  eminence,  and  through 
the  beautiful  village  of  Stamford.  The  fields  here  are  much 
better  cultivated  than  in  the  United  States,  and  there  is  not  so 
much  waste  of  timber.  The  clearing  is  done  with  much  more 
order  and  regularity.  Sir  Peregrine  resides  at  his  cottage,  in 
summer,  which  was  built  by  his  father-in-law,  the  Duke  of  Rich 
mond,  and  surrounded  by  a  park.  His  winter  residence  is  at 
York,  on  the  northern  shore  of  Lake  Ontario,  the  seat  of  the 
parliament  of  Upper  Canada. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

Journey  from  the  Falls  of  Niagara  to  Montreal  — The  Bat 
tle-ground  at  Queenstown. — Newark. — Kingston. — Mon 
treal. 

ON  Thursday,  the  25th  of  August,  we  took  our  final  leave  of 
the  falls,  in  the  forenoon,  in  company  with  the  Grymes  and 
Clare  families,  for  the  town  of  Newark,  which  is  situated  at  the 
junction   of  the   Niagara   with   Lake  Ontario,   on   the   Canada 
hore,  about  fourteen  miles  distant.   At  first  our  road  passed  over 
11  hills,  until  we  reached  the  battle-ground  at  Queenstown,  a 
iteep  hill   which  is  situated  behind  Queenstown,  and  commands 
a  view  of  the  whole  surrounding  country.    From  this,  the  coun 
try  as  far  as  Lake  Ontario,  is  more  level.    Opposite  to  Queens- 
town,  on  the  American  shore,  is  Lewistown. 
i«io     b£ule i^f  Queenstown  took  place  on  the  13th  of  October, 
1  he  English,  under  the  command  of  General  Brock,  oc- 
the  heights,  whose  right  wing  borders  on  the  Niagara, 
navmg  a  deep  ravine  in  front,  and  whose  left  wing  gradually 
slopes  towards  other  no  less  considerable  eminences,  which  they 
shghtly  fortified.     General  Solomon  Van   Rensselaer,  the 
t  post-master  in   Albany,   and   cousin   of  General  Van 


79 

Rensselaer,  the  patroon,  encamped  with  the  American  troops, 
consisting  of  regulars  and  militia,  on  the  opposite  shore,  near 
Lewistown.     General  Van  Rensselaer  was  apprised  that  Gene 
ral  Brock,  with   the  greatest  part  of  his   corps,  had  marched 
towards  the  west,  and  that  there  were  but  few  troops  left  on 
the  heights.      He  determined  therefore  to  cross  the  river,  to 
make  himself  master  of  so  important  a  position.     During  the 
night  he  conveyed  his  regulars,  about  one  thousand  four  hundred 
men,  over  the  river,  and  gave  orders  that  the  militia  should  fol 
low  on  the  return  of  the  boats,  and  form  a  reserve  in  the  rear. 
These  troops  gained  the  heights,  and  nearly  surprised  the  British, 
who,  notwithstanding,  made  a  bold  resistance.     The  Americans 
would,  however,  have  remained  masters  of  the  field,  had  not  Ge 
neral  Brock  returned  with  his  detachment.     Brock  was  a  brave 
soldier,  and  hearing  that  the  troops  whom  he  had  left  behind,  were 
in  a  dangerous  position,  he  immediately  attacked  the  Americans 
with  but  a  single  company.    In  this  attack  he  found  a  glorious  and 
memorable  death.     The  Americans  kept  the  heights  as  long  as 
possible;  their  ammunition,  however,  being  nearly  exhausted, 
General  Van  Rensselaer  sent  orders  to  the  militia  to  advance.  The 
general  himself  hastened  to  the  opposite  shore  to  accelerate  their 
movements;  he  was  answered  that  they  were  ready  to  defend 
the  borders  of  the  United  States,  -but  it  was  contrary  to  the  laws 
of  the  country  to  take  them  out  of  it.     The  troops  of  the  line  in 
the  meanwhile,  having  exhausted  their  ammunition,  were  obliged 
to  retreat;  they  expected  to  embark,  but  not  finding  any  boats, 
they  were  compelled,  after  a  heroic  defence  to  surrender  as  pri 
soners  of  war.     On  the  place  where  General  Brock  fell,  the  par 
liament  of  Canada  has  erected  a  monument  to  the  memory  of  that 
brave  and  intrepid  soldier.     It  consists  of  a  lofty  column,  which 
may  be  observed  from  every  part  of  the  adjacent  country.     It 
was  not  yet  completed,  and  wanted  the  inscription. 

We  expected  to  meet  the  steam-boat  Queenstown  at  Newark, 
in  order  to  proceed  to  Kingston,  on  the  eastern  extremity  of 
Lake  Ontario.  We  missed  it,  however,  and  were  afterwards  in 
formed  that  it  had  been  obliged  to  put  in  at  another  harbour  on 
account  of  repairs.  We  were  compelled,  therefore,  to  remain 
three  days  at  Newark.  Newark  is  a  regularly  built  town,  with 
several  handsome  houses ;  it  is  situated  at  the  outlet  of  the  Nia 
gara  into  Lake  Ontario,  between  Fort  George  and  Missagua. 
Fort  Missagua  is  near  the  lake;  Fort  George  lies  south  of  New 
ark,  and  is  in  ruins.  During  the  last  war,  both  these  forts  were 
occupied  by  the  Americans,  and  from  Fort  George  towards  the 
town,  they  had  raised  a  bulwark  so  as  to  form  a  kind  of  intrench- 
ment.  After  they  had  evacuated  this  position,  and  were  obliged 
to  retreat  to  the  right  shore  of  the  Niagara,  the  commander, 


80 

General  M'Clurc,  burnt  the  town  of  Newark,  an  act  for  which 
he  has  been  severely  censured  by  his  county.  Since  this  occur 
red,  the  village  has  never  properly  recovered,  and  its  future  in 
crease  will  also  be  slow,  especially  as  government  is  digging 
a  canal  to  the  west  of  Newark,  which  is  to  connect  Lake  Erie, 
and  Lake  Ontario,  which  will  probably  hereafter  withdraw  all  the 
transitory  commerce.  Our  time  passed  very  agreeably  in  this 
town,  particularly  through  the  attention  of  the  worthy  Sir  Pere 
grine  Maitland,  who  had  come  hither;  the  politeness  of  Major  Cob, 
and  the  gallant  officers  of  the  seventy-sixth  regiment,  of  which 
four  companies  were  at  Newark,  as  well  as  the  delightful  singing 
of  Mrs.  Grymes,  who  remained  with  her  husband,  while  many 
others,  with  whom  we  had  expected  to  sail,  went  away. 

We  visited  Fort  Niagara,  which  is  situated  on  the  American 
shore,  and  which,  in  consequence  of  its  white  houses,  and  its 
waving  flag,  presents  a  very  handsome  appearance.  The  fort  lies 
on  a  neck  of  land;  it  was  erected  by  the  French  in  the  middle  of 
the  last  century,  and  was  shortly  after  taken  by  the  British. 
After  the  peace  of  Versailles  in  1783,  it  fell  into  the  posses 
sion  of  the  United  States,  was  retaken  during  the  late  war  by 
the  British,  and  at  the  peace  of  Ghent,  was  again  obtained  by  the 
United  States.  We  saw  all  that  was  to  be  seen,  and  found  every 
thing  clean  and  comfortable.  I  will  only  further  remark  on  the 
present  occasion,  that  the  uniform  of  the  United  States'  Infantry 
is  very  simple,  and  consists  of  dark  blue  cloth,  with  one  row  of 
white  buttons,  blue  lace  collars  and  cuffs  of  the  same,  white 
cord,  and  leather  caps. 

We  also  visited  the  village  of  the  Tuscarora  tribe  of  Indians, 
who  reside  within  the  limits  of  the  United  States,  about  three 
miles  from  Lewistown.  The  village  consists  of  single  houses, 
or  wigwams,  and  is  handsomely  situated  in  a  valley  surrounded 
by  forests.  It  contains  a  frame  church,  in  which  the  service  is 
performed  by  a  methodist  missionary,  who  also,  during  the  win 
ter,  keeps  school  for  their  children.  Most  of  the  houses  are  sur 
rounded  by  gardens  and  orchards;  and  the  fields,  in  which  they 
mostly  cultivate  Indian  corn,  appeared  to  be  in  a  very  good  con 
dition.  We  were  conducted  into  the  house  of  an  Indian,  about 
forty  years  of  age,  who  had  been  educated  in  one  of  the  schools 
in  New  York,  who  speaks  and  writes  English  fluently.  We 
found  him  in  his  bed  suffering  from  an  attack  of  rheumatism.  He 
inquired  after  our  native  countries,  and  was  pretty  well  acquaint 
ed  with  their  geography.  We  examined  his  library,  and  found 
it  consisted  chiefly  of  methodist  religious  books,  with  a  his- 
:>ry  of  the  United  States.  He  also  had  a  collection  of  Indian 
mplc  icnts  of  war,  consisting  of  a  club  of  hickory  wood,  a 
le-axe  of  stone,  bows  and  arrows,  the  points  of  which  are 


81 

flint,  very  artificially  made;  an  oblong  stone,  a  kind  of  serpen 
tine,  which  the  savages  wear  on  their  breasts  during  an  engage 
ment,  and  ornaments  of  glass  beads  and  shells,  which  they  wear 
around  their  waists  in  time  of  battle.  All  these  articles  I  wished 
to  buy;  but  the  Indian  told  me  that  he  kept  them  for  the  inspec 
tion  of  strangers,  and  that  they  were  not  for  sale.  Instead  of 
them,  he  sold  me  some  mocassins,  a  kind  of  soft  leather  shoe, 
made  of  buckskin,  which  are  ornamented  with  silk  and  beads, 
and  a  small  basket.  Amongst  the  Indians,  the  women  are 
obliged  to  do  all  the  work,  even  of  the  most  degrading  kind.  Mr. 
Tromp,  in  order  to  see  several  articles  more  conveniently,  had 
placed  his  hat  on  the  floor,  which  was  scarcely  observed  by  the 
Indian,  before  he  desired  Mrs.  Grymes  to  put  it  upon  a  chair. 
His  grandson,  a  boy  of  eleven  years,  shot  very  expertly  at  an 
apple  with  his  bow  and  arrow. 

The  steam-boat  Frontenac,  arrived  in  the  evening  after  our  re 
turn,  and  was  to  sail  on  the  following  day  for  Kingston.  We 
went  on  board  and  examined  her  cabin.  Around  the  dining-cabin 
there  are  six  chambers,  each  containing  four  births.  I  was  shown 
into  one  of  these,  in  which  I  could  lie  at  full  length.  In  the  la 
dies  cabin  are  fourteen  births.  A  great  part  of  the  deck  was  co 
vered  by  an  awning,  so  that  passengers  could  enjoy  the  fresh  air 
at  the  same  time  that  they  were  protected  from  the  sun  or  bad 
weather.  The  boat  carries  seven  hundred  and  fifty  tons,  and  has 
an  engine  made  by  Bolton  and  Watt,  at  Soho,  near  Birming 
ham,  of  twenty-seven  horse-power.  Sir  Peregrine  Maitland 
conveyed  me  to  this  vessel  in  his  carriage.  She  lay  at  anchor  off 
Fort  George.  Sir  Peregrine  had  the  great  politeness  to  station 
one  of  the  companies  of  the  seventy-sixth  regiment  with  a  flag,  to 
fire  a  salute  of  twenty-one  guns;  and  his  attention  was  still  farther 
shown  in  sending  his  son  along,  that  I  might  have  no  difficulty 
in  seeing  the  navy-yard,  at  Kingston.  The  Frontenac  sailed 
at  half  past  five  o'clock.  In  a  few  moments  we  were  on  the  lake, 
and  in  a  short  time  lost  sight  of  land,  and  were  apparently  in  the 
open  sea.  There  was  but  little  wind,  and  the  vessel,  in  conse 
quence  of  its  great  size,  produced  no  disagreeable  rocking.  Dur 
ing  the  whole  evening  we  were  entertained  by  Mrs.  Grymes, 
by  her  delightful  performance  on  the  guitar,  and  by  her  singing 
French  and  Spanish  songs.  The  night  passed  quietly;  but  it  was 
otherwise  at  break  of  day.  It  rained  repeatedly;  the  wind  grew 
stronger;  the  vessel  pitched,  and  several  persons  became  sea-sick. 
Lake  Ontario  is  of  an  elliptical  form,  is  about  two  hundred  miles 
long,  and  fifty-five  miles  at  its  widest  part.  It  is  everywhere 
very  deep,  in  some  places  five  hundred  feet,  and  never  freezes 
completely  over.  It  contains  several  good  harbours,  and  the 

VOL.  I.  11 


82 

boundary  line  between  Canada  and  the  United  States,  divides  it 
into  two  nearly  equal  parts. 

In  the  afternoon  we  saw  a  small  peninsula  towards  the  west, 
called  Prince  Edward's  Island,  and  passed  between  a  cluster  of 
small  islands,  called  the  Ducks.  About  nine  o'clock  in  the  even 
ing  we  reached  Kingston,  the  British  harbour  on  Lake  Ontario. 
We  cast  anchor  close  by  the  town.  I  spent  the  night  on  board, 
and  in  the  morning,  as  I  awoke,  I  found  one  of  the  companies  of 
the  thirty-seventh  regiment,  who  are  here  in  garrison,  marching 
along  the  quay,  near  the  vessel,  as  a  guard  of  honour,  accompa 
nied  by  a  band  of  music.  I  dismissed  them  of  course  immedi 
ately,  and  after  having  received  the  visits  of  a  few  officers,  we 
rode  over  the  bay  to  the  dock-yard,  which  lies  opposite  to 
Kingston,  surrounded  by  a  high  wall  and  protected  by  a  strong 
guard.  By  the  navy-list  I  ascertained  that  there  are  ten  ships 
here,  with  three  hundred  and  six  guns,  in  ordinary.  It  appear 
ed  to  me,  however,  that  the  number  of  guns  was  greater,  for  the 
St.  Lawrence,  one  of  these  vessels,  carried  one  hundred  and 
twenty  guns,  and  two  which  are  yet  on  the  stocks,  the  Montreal 
and  Wolf,  have  three  decks,  and  ports  for  one  hundred  and 
thirty  guns  each.  According  to  the  stipulation  of  the  treaty  of 
Ghent,  they  are  not  permitted  to  build  any  ships  here  during 
time  of  peace;  so  that  the  soldiers  at  the  arsenal  consisted  merely 
of  the  necessary  officers,  besides  twelve  carpenters,  who  had 
scarcely  any  thing  to  do,  but  to  work  at  an  elegant  little  schooner, 
which  was  shortly  to  be  launched  to  serve  as  a  yacht.  The  large 
vessels  on  the  stocks  were  uncovered,  and  appeared  to  have  suf 
fered  much  from  the  weather.  The  St.  Lawrence  was  the  largest 
vessel  in  the  river,  and  is  said  also  to  be  in  a  state  of  decay; 
her  bottom  especially  has  suffered  from  the  effects  of  the  fresh 
water  and  worms.  The  wharves  of  the  dock-yard  are  built  of 
wood,  and  bear  marks  of  the  haste  in  which  they  were  erected; 
they  were  in  a  bad  condition.  Within  a  few  years  they  have 
erected  a  magazine,  three  stories  high  and  one  hundred  and  ninety- 
two  feet  long,  with  iron  doors  and  shutters,  for  the  preservation 
)f  the  sails  and  cordage.  The  partitions  in.  the  inside  are  made  of 
wood.  Immediately  on  our  entrance  into  the  magazine  the  large 
iron  door  wajrlbeked  and  kept  so,  inasmuch  as  they  greatly  mis 
trust  the  Americans.  Beneath  the  building  is  a  cellar,  which  is 
also  occupied  as  a  magazine,  and  the  floor  of  which  consists 

I  limestone,  which  serves  for  the  foundation  of  the  whole  build 
ing    The  stairs  are  of  stone,  and  are  built  into  a  tower;  they  in- 
i(i  also  at  some  future  period,  to  make  the  different  floors  firc- 
'Ot,  like  the  magazine  at  Plymouth,  by  covering  them  with 

•on.   In  a  distinct  massy  building  are  the  forges,  and  in  a  third 
the  offices.  By  the  side  of  the  offices  is  a  large  room,  which  con- 


83 

tains  the  different  articles  used  in  ship-building.  Opposite  to  the 
dock-yard,  on  a  neck  of  land,  is  Fort  Frederick,  which  I  had 
not  time  to  visit.  Behind  the  dock-yard,  upon  a  small  height, 
stood  a  number  of  tents.  We  were  informed  that  about  four  hun 
dred  Irish  emigrants  had  encamped  there,  who  had  been  sent  to 
this  country  at  the  expense  of  the  English  government,  to  settle 
a  piece  of  land  on  the  north-western  bank  of  Lake  Ontario,  whi 
ther  they  were  soon  to  go.  The  town  of  Kingston  contains 
about  two  thousand  inhabitants,  and  is  built  in  the  usual  style. 

We  left  Kingston  after  eleven  o'clock,  on  board  the  steam 
boat  Lady  Dalhousie,  for  Prescott,  sixty-eight  miles  from  King 
ston,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  Adjutant  Maitland 
left  us  at  Kingston,  but  the  rest  of  the  company  remained.  We 
had  scarcely  left  this  place  before  we  sailed  round  a  promontory 
on  which  stands  Fort  Henry,  into  the  St.  Lawrence.  This  river 
is  here  very  wide,  and  forms  an  archipelago  about  fifty  miles  in 
length,  called  the  thousand  islands.  The  English  and  American 
commissioners  for  determining  the  boundary  line,  took  the  pains 
to  count  these  islands,  and  found  that  they  amounted  to  sixteen 
hundred  and  ninety -two;  in  this  calculation,  however,  they  have 
included  every  projecting  rock,  even  if  it  had  but  a  single  tree. 
This  archipelago  presents  a  beautiful  prospect;  most  of  the  islands 
are  rocky,  and  are  overgrown  with  trees,  generally  cedars.  Here 
and  there  a  fir  reared  his  lofty  head,  which,  generally  grow 
ing  upon  the  bare  rocks,  where  the  trees  are  less  numerous,  pre 
sents  a  picturesque  appearance.  We  observed  something  similar 
to  the  picture  of  Frederick,  of  which  we  were  often  reminded  in 
descending  the  St.  Lawrence.  Eighteen  miles  from  Kingston 
our  vessel  stopped  at  the  village  of  Gananoqui,  on  the  Canada 
shore,  to  take  in  wood.  I  went  for  a  moment  ashore  and  found 
an  insignificant  village,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  which  the  river 
of  the  same  name  falls  into  the  St.  Lawrence.  The  Gananoqui 
river  has  a  rocky  bed,  and  is  crossed  by  a  wooden  bridge,  beyond 
which,  upon  a  small  eminence,  is  a  square  two  story  log-house, 
the  upper  story  of  which  was  formerly  occupied  as  a  garrison  by 
about  forty  men.  During  the  late  war  the  Americans  got  posses 
sion  here  of  an  English  post  and  a  magazine,  in  consequence  of 
which  they  built  this  block-house.  At  the  extremity  of  the  archi 
pelago  of  the  thousands  islands  is  a  similar  block-house  for  the  pro 
tection  of  the  navigation  of  the  river. 

On  the  Canada  shore,  about  fifty  miles  below  Kingston,  where 
the  archipelago  terminates,  is  the  small  village  of  Brockville, 
where  there  are  some  fine  magazines  near  the  river.  At  this 
place  the  night  set  in,  which  was  warm  and  moonlight.  We  found 
two  taverns  in  the  village,  but  they  were  so  full  of  people,  and 
had  such  a  dirty  appearance,  that  I  preferred  spending  the  night 


84 

on  board  the  steam-boat,  and  my  example  was  followed  by  the 
families  of  Messrs.  Clare  and  Grymes.  The  steam-boat  carried 
one  hundred  tons,  and  was  of  twenty-five  horse  power,  but  she 
was  by  no  means  so  convenient  and  comfortable  as  the  Frontenac. 

At  this  place  commence  the  rapids  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  They 
are  formed  by  rocks,  which  extend  obliquely  across  the  river, 
over  which  the  water  rushes  with  tremendous  force,  so  that  be 
tween  this  place  and  Montreal,  a  distance  of  one  hundred  and 
thirteen  miles,  the  steam-boats  can  run  only  a  part  of  the  way.  On 
this  account,  therefore,  there  is  a  line  of  stage-coaches  and  steam 
boats  between  Prescott  and  Montreal,  which  take  the  passengers 
alternately,  and  produce  much  vexation  in  consequence  of  the 
baggage  The  rapids  may  be  descended  in  bateaux,  or  Durham- 
boats,  which  are  small,  flat  vessels  of  about  forty  tons,  have  but 
half  deck,  and  draw  eighteen  inches  of  water.  The  Durham- 
boats  have  a  mast  and  two  sails,  and  carry  large  cargoes  of  goods. 
We  were  anxious  to  undertake  the  passage,  in  order  to  see  the 
rapids,  and  to  ascertain  the  danger  of  which  so  much  has  been 
spoken.  We  therefore  went  on  board  a  Durham-boat,  the  Flying 
Dutchman,  paid  two  dollars  for  each  passenger,  and  were  assured 
by  the  captain,  that,  if  the  wind  should  be  good,  we  should  be  at 
Montreal  in  a  day.  Sir  Michael  resolved  to  attempt  the  enter 
prise,  and  his  lady  accompanied  him,  in  spite  of  her  fears.  Mrs. 
Grymes,  however,  was  so  much  afraid,  that  she  preferred  travel 
ling  partly  in  the  stage  and  partly  by  steam-boat. 

We  embarked  on  board  the  Flying  Dutchman,  at  about  6 
o'clock,  early  in  the  morning  of  the  30th  August.  The  morning 
was  delightful,  and  as  we  were  much  pleased  with  the  beautiful 
prospect  of  Prescott,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  which  is  Fort 
Wellington,  a  redoubt,  which  was  built  during  the  late  war. 

On  the  American  shore  we  saw  the  town  of  Ogdensburgh, 
which  was  fortified  by  the  Americans  during  the  late  war,  but 
soon  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  British.  The  comforts  of  our 
vessel  were  not,  as  we  have  remarked,  very  great.  It  was 
open,  a  few  barrels  of  potash  served  us  as  a  floor;  and  boards  laid 
across  our  trunks  as  seats.  Six  miles  below  Prescott  we  arrived 
at  a  few  islands  called  the  Gallop  Islands,  and  the  first  rapids. 
As  we  approached,  the  water  appeared  to  be  boiling,  and  high 
foaming  billows  arose,  over  which  our  boat  passed  rapidly.  They 
are  not  so  high  as  the  swells  at  sea,  but  they  are  very  short  and 
rapid  m  their  movements.  As  our  Durham-boat,  however,  was 
remarkably  long,  it  divided  them  without  producing  any  disa- 
ieable  motion.  Scarcely  had  we  passed  the  rapids  before  the 
river  became  again  smooth,  and  as  we  had  scarcely  any  wind,  our 
progress  was  but  slow.  Another  set  of  rapids,  nine  miles  long, 
•e  passed  in  an  hour,  and  with  no  more  danger  than  the  pre- 


$5 

ceding.  We  were  assured,  however,  that  a  branch  of  these  rapids, 
from  which  we  were  separated  by  an  island,  are  very  dangerous. 
It  is  called  the  least  channel;  and  Duncan,  in  "his  Journal, 
gives  a  beautiful  description  of  a 'shipwreck  that  occurred  here, 
in  which  many  lives  were  lost.  Our  vessel  was  not  only  flat  at 
the  bottom,  like  all  the  others  that  pass  these  rapids,  but  had 
also  an  ingenious  false  keel,  which  could  be  lowered  and  raised 
as  the  water  was  either  shallow  or  deep.  Our  passengers  were 
principally  of  the  lower  class  of  Canadians,  who  spoke  bad  French, 
somewhat  like  the  Walloon.  There  was  also  a  lively  young 
black  bear,  three  months  old,  on  board. 

About  twenty  miles  below  Longsault,  we  reached  the  village 
of  Cornwall,  on  the  Canada  shore.     The  wind  was  so  feeble  that 
we  had  no  hopes  of  reaching  a  good  tavern  before  dark,  we  de 
termined,  therefore,  to  stay  here  all  night.     Towards  evening, 
Mr.  Grymes'  family  also  arrived  by  land,  and  took  lodgings  at 
the  same  tavern.     The  village  is  small,  but  the  streets  intersect 
each  other  at  right  angles,  and  contain  several  new  stone  houses. 
It  appears  to  be  a  place  of  little  business.     The  country  is  pretty 
flat,  and  the  plain  near  the  village  is  used  by  the  British  as  a  race- 
ground.     A  race  was  to  take  place  in  a  few  days,  horses  had  al 
ready  arrived  and  lodgings  were  bespoken.   The  British  govern 
ment  sends  many  Scotch  emigrants  into  this  part  of  the  country. 
Our  departure  on  the  following  morning  was  delayed  two 
hours  by  the  ladies;  and  it  was  not  until  about  7  o'clock  that  we 
left   Cornwall   in   our  Durham-boat.     The  morning  was   very 
pleasant,  and  in  consequence  of  a  rather  strong  southerly  wind, 
we  glided  rapidly  along.     Five  miles  below  Cornwall,  on  the 
right  shore,  we  saw  the  village  of  St.  Regis,  the  last  belonging 
to  the  United  States      The  American  line  here  leaves  the  St. 
Lawrence,  both  shores  of  which  belong  to  Canada  as  far  as  its 
outlet  into  the  sea.     On  the  left  bank  of  the  river  we  descried  a 
new  Scotch  village,  called  Glengary  Settlement.     Farther  on, 
you  reach  a  lake,  called  Lac  St.  Frangois,  through  which  the 
St.  Lawrence  flows,  and  through  which  the  boundary  line  be 
tween  Upper  and  Lower  Canada  is  drawn.     This  lake,  which  is 
about   forty  miles   long,  and  six  broad,  contains. a  number  of 
islands.     Not  far  from  St.  Regis  we  passed  one  of  these  islands, 
which  is  inhabited  by  some  Indians,  who  have  been  baptized  by 
a  Catholic  missionary,  and  have  their  island  in  a  good  state  of 
cultivation.     One  of  the  Indians,  with  his  wife,  came  along  side 
of  us  in  a  canoe,  and  sold  us  some  fish.   At  the  point  where  Lac 
St.   Frangois    terminates,  and  where  the    St.   Lawrence   again 
commences,  is  the  village  of  Cotcau  de  Lac,  on  the  left  bank  of 
the  river.    At  this  village  is  a  pretty  strong  rapid,  stronger  than 
those  we  passed  yesterday.     In  order  that  this  rapid  may  be 


86 

avoided,  and  that  vessels  may  ascend  with  more  ease,  the  govern 
ment  has  had  a  canal  dug  along  the  river,  which  has  two  locks, 
and  is  covered  by  a  small  fort,  Fort  du  Coteau, 

Our  captain  had  business  at  the  custom-house;  he  stopped 
therefore  for  an  hour,  during  which  I  had  time  to  look  at  the  fort; 
after  which  we  continued  our  course  in  a  strong  wind  which  was 
brought  on  by  a  thunder-storm.  The  shores  and  islands  of  the 
river  are  generally  covered  with  cedar  trees,  and  amongst  them 
we  observed  some  neat  houses  and  churches,  with  bright  tin  roofs. 
At  the  village  of  Coteau  des  Cedres,  we  were  obliged  to  encounter 
the  last  and  most  dangerous  rapid,  called  the  Cascades.  The 
waves  were  uncommonly  high,  and  our  vessel  passed  over  the  dan 
gerous  parts  with  incredible  velocity.  Along  these  rapids  there 
is  also  a  canal  provided  with  locks,  and  intended  to  facilitate  the 
ascent  of  vessels.  If  these  rapids  are  viewed  from  the  shore, 
it  appears  incredible  that  a  canoe  should  venture  in  without  being 
swallowed  up.  Such  a  misfortune,  however,  does  not  happen, 
as  we  had  just  proved.  Below  this  rapid  the  river,  where  it  re 
ceives  the  Ottawa,  again  spreads  out  so  as  to  form  another  lake 
called  Lac  St.  Louis.  North  of  this  lake,  and  at  the  place  where 
the  Ottawa  unites  with  the  St.  Lawrence,  it  forms  another  lake, 
Lac  des  deux  Montagues,  which  is  separated  from  Lac  St. 
Louis  by  three  islands,  called  Jesus,  Perrot,  and  Montreal. 
The  thunder-storm  passed  close  by  us;  the  wind  blew  heavy,  but 
favourably.  We  met  a  steam-boat,  having  a  corpse  on  board,  and 
her  flag  at  half-mast;  this  was  a  bad  omen!  Another  steam-boat 
got  ahead  of  us  as  we  were  passing  towards  La  Chine,  and  excited 
our  desire  to  sail  faster;  but  suddenly  we  saw  a  terrible  storm 
approaching.  In  an  instant  every  hand  was  endeavouring  to  take 
down  the  sails,  and  the  small  one  was  fortunately  drawn  in  be 
fore  the  arrival  of  the  squall,  but  the  large  one,  in  consequence 
of  its  bad  cordage,  was  only  half  way  down  when  it  struck  us. 
Near  us  we  observed  a  sound,  with  a  dangerous  cliff,  which  it  was 
necessary  to  avoid  by  steering  to  the  left, but  we  were  driven  direct 
ly  towards  it.  Six  men  could  scarcely  manage  the  helm.  Half  of 
the  sail  floated  in  the  water,  and  our  destruction  appeared  inevita 
ble.  No  one  knew  who  commanded;  the  sailors  thought  them 
selves  better  qualified  than  the  captain,  and  every  thing  was  hurry 
and  confusion.  I  deemed  it  best  to  remain  silent,  and  commit 
myself  to  the  care  of  Providence,  who  guides  the  destinies  of  man. 
At  length  a  sailor  climbed  the  mast  and  cut  the  cord,  so  that  the 
sail  could  be  taken  down,  by  which  time  we  had  fortunately 
passed  the  sound.  The  storm  also,  which  altogether  did  not  last 
much  longer  than  five  minutes,  began  to  abate.  The  steam-boat 

head   had  been  in  the  same   dangerous  situation,  and    would 
have  been  cast  upon  the  rocks  in  the  sound,  had  she  not  speedily 


87 

returned  into  the  lake,  where  she  cast  anchor.  Immediately  after 
the  storm,  during  which  it  had  rained,  we  observed  a  remarkable 
phenomenon,  viz.  a  fall  of  white-winged  insects,  of  which  a  great 
quantity  fell  upon  our  boat.  It  continued  during  five  minutes. 
These  insects  had  in  all  probability  been  driven  from  the  neigh 
bouring  forests.  The  storm,  though  unpleasant,  had  the  effect  of 
propelling  us  swiftly  forwards.  After  6  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
we  reached  without  any  other  unpleasant  occurrence  La  Chine, 
a  village,  which  has  a  harbour  situated  upon  the  island  of  Mon 
treal. 

La  Chine  appears  to  be  an  insignificant  village,  though  in  con 
sequence  of  its  favourable  situation,  it  is  said  to  do  considerable 
business.  The  French  was  spoken  so  badly  here,  that  I  thought 
myself  transported  to  our  provinces  of  Hennegau  or  Namur. 
The  village  is  said  to  have  obtained  its'  name  from  the  circum 
stance  that  during  the  time  the  country  was  occupied  by  the 
French  colony,  they  believed  they  could  pass  to  China  by  way 
of  the  St.  Lawrence;  and  with  this  object,  an  expedition  had 
been  fitted  out,  which  embarked  at  La  Chine. 

Between  La  Chine  and  Montreal,  the  river  has  a  very  dan 
gerous  rapid,  on  account  of  which  the  government  has  built  a 
canal  as  far  as  this  place,  which  is  nine  miles  long,  has  several 
locks,  and  is  said  to  be  of  much  importance  to  the  trade.  As  we 
preferred  going  by  land  we  hired  a  stage-coach,  and  started  about 
eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  during  a  violent  thunder-storm. 
Lady  Clare,  who  was  scarcely  recovered  from  the  fear  which 
she  experienced  on  the  water,  would  willingly  have  spent  the 
night  here  in  a  tavern,  as  she  was  much  afraid  to  travel  during  a 
thunder-storm  at  night.  It  soon  turned  out  that  her  fears  were 
not  unfounded.  We  had  scarcely  passed  three  miles  over  a  good 
turnpike  road,  before  we  came  in  contact  with  several  carts  that 
stood  in  front  of  a  tavern,  loaded  with  iron  bars.  The  drivers 
had  gone  into  the  tavern,  and  left  their  carts  in  the  middle  of  the 
road,  and  as  the  night  was  dark  we  approached  one  of  them  so 
suddenly  that  three  of  the  iron  bars  entered  the  breast  of  our  shaft- 
horse,  which  immediately  fell  and  expired.  After  much  dispute 
between  the  coachman  and  the  Carters,  we  rode  on  with  three 
horses,  and  arrived  at  Montreal  about  ten  o'clock  at  night.  We 
stopt  at  the  Masonic  Hall,  a  hotel  which  has  been  established 
within  the  last  year.  It  is  a  very  large,  convenient,  massy  build 
ing,  four  stories  high,  and  built  of  blue  stone.  It  affords  a  fine 
view  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  which  is  upwards  of  twelve  hundred 
yards  wide  here.  At  our  arrival,  I  became  immediately  ac 
quainted  with  Captain  Hellish,  of  the  engineers,  who  was  sent 
from  England  on  a  scientific  expedition  into  the  interior  of  the 
colony. 


88 

We  remained  at  Montreal  nearly  three  days.  The  city,  which 
I  examined  in  company  with  Lieutenant  Colonel  Evans  of  the 
seventieth  regiment,  in  garrison  here,  contains  about  twenty -five 
thousand  inhabitants.  It  extends  upon  a  hill  to  a  considerable 
distance,  between  the  St.  Lawrence  and  Le  Mont  Real,  which 
is  about  seven  hundred  feet  high,  and  is  lined  with  timber.  It 
has  two  principal  streets,  which  run  parallel  with  the  river,  and 
are  intersected  by  a  third,  that  runs  along  the  ditch  of  the  de 
molished  fortresses.  The  houses  are  generally  built  of  blue  stone, 
and  covered  with  bright  tin,  have  iron  doors  and  shutters  to  pro 
tect  them  against  the  fire,  which  give  the  city  a  very  dismal  ap 
pearance.  In  our  walk  we  passed  a  number  of  young  men  who 
wore  belts,  and  were  dressed  in  blue  coats,  the  seams  of  which 
were  covered  with  white  cord.  We  were  informed  that  they 
were  the  pupils  of  the  Catholic  ecclesiastical  school.  It  is  well 
known  that  most  of  the  Canadians,  and  four-fifth  of  the  inhabi 
tants  of  Montreal,  are  Catholics;  they  are  bigotted,  and  the  lower 
classes  are  exceedingly  ignorant.  There  is  a  very  broad  street, 
which  unites  the  two  principal  streets,  and  in  the  centre  is  the 
market-house.  At  one  of  the  extremities  of  this  street,  are  the 
court-house  and  prison;  behind  which  is  the  place  where  the  old 
forts  stood,  since  converted  into  a  parade.  Montreal  has  several 
hospitals,  which  are  superintended  by  nurses.  These  hospitals, 
however,  are  not  sufficient,  especially  as  the  nuns  do  not  admit 
any  fever  patients.  In  consequence  of  this,  some  of  the  most 
wealthy  citizens  have  joined,  and  selected  a  healthy  spot,  on 
which  they  have  erected  a  new  hospital,  three  stories  high,  capa 
ble  of  containing  seventy  patients  of  both  sexes.  In  this  hospital, 
the  sick,  fifty  in  number,  receive  cheap  and  excellent  accommo 
dations.  They  are  under  the  care  of  nurses,  and  are  attended 
gratis,  by  the  best  physicians  of  the  city.  The  arrangement  is 
similar  to  that  of  the  hospital  at  Boston,  but  there  is  less  of  luxury 
here  in  their  management. 

The  public  library  is  as  yet  small,  though  it  is  rapidly  increas 
ing.  It  has  united  with  it  a  cabinet  of  natural  history.  We  also 
observed  the  foundation  for  a  large  cathedral,  which  is  to  be  built 
by  private  contributions.  At  the  barracks  of  the  subalterns,  I 
was  much  pleased  with  the  mess-room,  which  has  a  library  con 
nected  with  it;  I  was  also  much  gratified  with  the  school  for  the 
education  of  the  soldiers,  and  their  children.  The  barracks  were 
formerly  occupied  as  the  Jesuit  college,  which  stood  in  the  old 
b  rench  citadel,  of  which  not  a  vestige  remains.  Not  far  from  the 
barracks  is  a  steam-engine,  which  conveys  the  water  from  the 
into  the  city,  at  the  same  time  that  it  moves  a  mill.  At  the 
t-housc  stands  a  monument  erected  by  the  colony  in  honour 
Nelson.  It  consists  of  a  statue  resting  upon  a  single  co- 


89 

lumn.  On  one  side  of  the  pedestal  is  an  inscription;  two  others 
contain  representations  of  naval  engagements;  and  the  fourth,  a 
representation  of  the  capitulation  of  Copenhagen. 

The  next  day,  Lieutenant-colonel  Mac  Gregor  conducted  me 
to  the  parade,  where  a  part  of  his  regiment  was  assembled.  They 
formed  a  battalion  of  six  divisions.  The  battalion  exercises  were 
not  performed,  but  the  manoeuvres,  which  were  very  compli 
cated,  and  only  adapted  to  the  place,  were  executed  with  much 
precision  and  admirable  celerity.  I  learned  a  new  mode  of  mak 
ing  ready.  At  the  command  "  ready,"  the  soldiers  levelled  their 
muskets,  cocked  them  in  this  position;  at  the  command  "fire," 
they  brought  them  slowly  to  their  cheeks.  The  infantry  were 
divided  into  two  bodies,  but  in  making  a  flank  march,  they  formed 
into  three,  by  passing  through  the  files.  The  platoons  were  di 
vided  into  sections,  containing  from  four  to  six  files,  in  conse 
quence  of  which  the  oblique  march  was  easily  executed. 

After  this  manoeuvre  was  completed,  we  took  a  boat,  in  com 
pany  with  the  officers,  for  the  island  of  St.  Helen,  oppositely  to 
Montreal,  in  the  middle  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  This  island  con 
tains  a  large  artillery  depot,  under  the  direction  of  Major  Wal 
lace.  Upon  landing  we  were  saluted  with  a  discharge  of  twenty- 
one  guns  from  the  battery  on  the  neck  of  the  island.  This  battery 
is  of  a  crescent  shape,  and  serves  as  a  training-place  for  the  com 
pany  of  artillery  stationed  here.  The  gunners  were  just  practis 
ing  with  one  nine,  and  one  six  pounder,  and  a  seven-inch  howit 
zer,  each  of  which  was  charged  with  grenades.  The  mark  stood 
in  the  river,  and  their  dexterity  was  such  that  the  grenade  never 
exploded  before  reaching  it.  The  skill  consists  chiefly  in  the 
proper  calculation  of  the  fuse,  so  that  the  powder  of  the  grenade 
may  explode  the  moment  it  is  over  the  mark. 

St.  Helen  was  the  only  point  that  the  French  retained  after 
all  Canada  had  submitted  to  the  British  power.  It  is  about  two 
miles  in  circumference,  and  is  covered  with  fine  elms  and  differ 
ent  kinds  of  nut  trees,  particularly  the  hickory.  The  soldiers 
have  made  excellent  paths  through  and  around  the  island.  A  bo 
tanic  garden  was  established  here  a  few  years  ago  by  the  govern 
ment,  in  which  all  the  North  American  plants  are  collected,  for 
the  purpose  of  furnishing  gardens  in  England.  On  the  north 
side  of  the  island  you  have  some  beautiful  views  of  the  shores 
of  the  river,  and  Montreal,  with  her  numerous  churches,  and 
situation  at  the  foot  of  the  green  mountain,  presents  a  very  im 
posing  appearance.  Here  are  also  the  arsenal  and  barracks,  new 
massy  buildings,  which  are  protected  against  a  coup  de  main 
by  a  breast-work,  as  well  as  by  embrasures  in  the  walls.  The 
interior  of  the  island  is  hilly,  and  in  a  really  romantic  valley 
is  a  powder-magazine,  containing  four  thousand  barrels  of  pow- 
VOL.  I.  12 


90 

<kr.  Through  Major  Wallace,  who  resides  in  a  very  beautiful 
house  at  the  barracks,  we  became  acquainted  with  his  wife  and 
daughter,  who  pass  their  time  very  pleasantly  at  their  solitary 
habitation  in  music  and  drawing.  During  the  winter,  the  people 
who  are  obliged  to  stay  on  the  island  are  sometimes  prevent 
ed  from  going  to  Montreal  for  six  weeks,  in  consequence  of 
the  ice. 

After  our  return  to  Montreal  we  took  another  ramble  through 
the  city,  and  observed  some  very  large  stores.  As  Montreal  car 
ries  on  some  fur  trade  through  the  Ottawa  river,  with  the  Hud 
son  Bay  and  North-west  Company,  I  had  supposed  I  should  be 
able  to  procure  some  cheap  fur;  but  I  found  little  that  was  good, 
and  this  was  valued  at  an  enormous  price.  In  the  evening  we 
went  to  the  Royal  Circus,  whose  pompous  advertisement  had 
promised  a  large  company  of  riders  and  a  good  play.  The  riders, 
four  grown  persons  and  two  boys,  performed  some  tolerably  good 
feats;  but  the  play  was  so  badly  managed  that  we  soon  returned 
to  the  house.  The  theatre  is  in  other  respects  handsomely  ar 
ranged:  it  has  two  tiers  of  boxes,  and  a  circle  for  the  horses, 
which,  during  the  play,  forms  the  pit. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Journey  from  Montreal  to  Quebec. — Slay  at  Quebec. — Return 
to  Montreal—from  the  3d  to  the  9th  of  September ;  1825. 

ABOUT  8  o'clock  in  the  evening  of  the  3d  of  September,  in 
company  with  Messrs.  Grymes  and  Clare's  families,  we  embark 
ed  on  board  the  steam-boat  Lady  Sherbrook  for  Quebec,  one 
hundred  and  eighty  miles  from  Montreal.  Montreal  wants  good 
wharves,  a  circumstance  which  we  felt  sensibly  on  going  on  board 
the  steam-boat,  as  we  were  obliged  to  walk  in  the  dark  through 
the  mire,  which  was  particularly  disagreeable  to  the  ladies.  We 
had  taken  state-rooms  on  board  the  vessel,  so  that  the  ladies  could 
live  alone,  and  not  be  obliged  to  sleep  in  the  common  ladies  cabin. 
To  me  it  was  also  pleasant  to  have  a  small  room  to  myself.  At 
Montreal  I  met  Captain  King,  of  the  English  artillery,  with 
whom  I  had  become  acquainted  at  Boston,  and  who  likewise  tra 
velled  to  Quebec.  The  other  passengers  were  not  numerous. 

^  The  steam-boat  was  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long,  carried 
eight  hundred  tons,  and  her  engine  was  of  sixty  horse-power,  much 
too  little  for  such  a  large  and  heavy  vessel.  It  started  after  9 


91 

o'clock  in  the  evening.  During  the  night  it  stopt  an  hour  at  the 
outlet  of  the  river  Sorel  into  the  St.  Lawrence,  at  William  Henry, 
a  small  town,  so  called  in  honour  of  the  Duke  of  Clarence.  They 
were  obliged  to  take  in  wood;  for  the  American  and  Canada 
steam-boats  are  not,  like  the  European,  heated  with  stone  coal,  but 
with  wood,  which  takes  up  much  room  on  the  vessel,  and  much 
time  in  loading. 

The  next  morning  we  stopt  on  the  left  bank  of  Hie  little  town 
Les  Trois  Rivieres,  which  contains  two  thousand  five  hundred 
inhabitants,  is  eighty  miles  distant  from  Montreal,  and  situated 
where  the  St.  Maurice  empties  itself  into  the  St.  Lawrence.  Be 
fore  we  came  to  this  place,  we  had  to  go  through  Lake  St.  Pierre, 
which  is  formed  by  the  widening  of  the  river  St.  Lawrence.  The 
banks  of  this  river  are  thickly  inhabited  on  both  sides,  and  are  also 
said  to  be  cultivated  and  productive.  The  river  is  throughout  from 
one  to  two  miles  wide,  but  fifty-two  miles  below  Trois  Rivieres, 
at  the  village  of  Richelieu,  it  becomes  narrower,  and  here  are  the 
last  rapids,  called  Rapids  de  Richelieu.  The  banks,  which  as  far 
as  this  place  are  pretty  low,  become  higher  and  more  rocky,  par 
ticularly  on  the  left  side.  The  neighbourhood  is  remarkably 
handsome  and  picturesque.  The  majestic  stream  with  its  pleasant 
banks  and  the  view  of  the  distant  blue  mountains  near  Quebec, 
produce  an  indescribable  effect.  The  weather  was  favourable, 
a  clear  sunny  day,  and  not  very  warm;  in  this  northern  latitude 
you  can  already  perceive  the  approaching  autumn  by  the  coolness 
of  the  nights  and  mornings. 

We  reached  Quebec  at  10  o'clock  in  the  evening.  This  city 
consists  of  two  parts,  the  upper  town,  which  is  built  on  a  rock, 
and  the  lower,  which  is  pressed  in  between  the  river  and  the 
rock.  The  lights  in  the  lower  town  and  the  fortifications,  had 
an  elegant  appearance,  when  contrasted  with  the  dark  rock.  The 
first  coup  d'ceil,  which  was  by  night,  reminded  me  of  Namur, 
as  it  is  seen  from  the  right  bank  of  the  Maas.  In  the  river 
were  many  vessels,  mostly  used  for  carrying  wood.  It  was  al 
ready  late,  and  we  should  have  found  difficulty  in  transporting 
our  baggage  by  night,  besides  other  inconveniences  in  finding 
lodgings  for  the  ladies,  so  we  spent  this  night  also  on  board 
the  steam-boat,  where  we  were  very  comfortable  and  found  it 
cleanly. 

The  next  morning,  after  dismissing  the  guard  which  the  go 
vernor  had  appointed  to  escort  us,  we  went  to  our  lodgings,  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  town.  The  lower  town  is  very  narrow,  and 
has  a  filthy  appearance.  The  streets  are  not  paved,  and  badly 
provided  with  side-walks.  The  road  which  leads  to  the  upper 
part  of  the  town  is  very  steep.  It  stands  on  a  rocky  ground,  and 


92 

its  fortifications  are  elevated  three  hundred  and  fifty  feet  from 
the  level  of  the  ocean.  The  upper  is  separated  from  the  lower 
town  by  a  stone  wall,  which  has  the  form  of  a  horn-work. 
Through  this  wall  is  a  gate,  which  has  a  guard,  the  guard-room 
is  opposite  the  gate,  and  by  means  of  a  portcullis  defends  the  en 
trance.  For  the  convenience  of  foot-passengers,  there  is  a  door 
near  the  gate,  with  wooden  stairs,  by  ascending  which  you  reach 
the  upper  town.  On  the  right  side  of  the  gate  is  a  building  which 
resembles  a  chapel,  and  serves  for  the  house  of  commons  of  Cana 
da.  In  order  to  get  home,  we  were  obliged  to  go  round  part  of 
the  walls  of  the  town.  Even  here  you  have  an  indescribably 
beautiful  view  of  the  Bay  of  Quebec  and  the  right  bank  of  the 
river,  which  has  the  appearance  of  a  cape  called  Point  Levi. 

Shortly  after  our  arrival,  I  received  a  visit  from  Colonel  Du- 
chesnay,  first  adjutant  of  the  governor-general,  and  from  Colo 
nel  Darnford,  director  of  engineers.  The  first  gentleman  came 
to  bid  me  welcome,  in  the  name  of  the  governor,  and  the  latter 
begged  to  show  me  the  fortifications.  Lord  Dalhousie,  governor- 
general  of  all  the  British  possessions  in  North  America,  was  at 
that  time  in  England,  but  was  expected  daily.  During  his  ab 
sence,  the  government  was  under  the  direction  of  the  lieutenant- 
governor,  Sir  Francis  Burton,  brother  of  Lord  Conyngham.  He 
is  a  civilian,  but  is  said  to  fill  his  high  post  with  credit.  The  good 
spirits  the  inhabitants  are  in,  and  the  harmony  that  exists  in  the 
colony,  is  mostly  owing  to  his  good  management,  and  his  humane 
and  friendly  deportment  towards  them.  It  is  said  of  Lord  Dal 
housie,  that  he  has  estranged  the  hearts  of  the  people  from  him 
self  and  the  government,  through  his  haughty  and  absolute  de 
portment,  and  the  opposition  party  in  the  Canadian  parliament 
has  thereby  been  strengthened. 

With  the  above-mentioned  public  officers,  we  wandered  through 
the  city,  and  first  of  all  visited  the  government  house,  which  is  a 
large  old  building,  vacant  during  the  absence  of  Lord  Dalhousie. 
The  rooms  are  not  large,  and  were  not  as  richly  furnished  as  I  ex 
pected  to  see  the  mansion  of  an  English  governor-general.  At  the 
back  of  the  house,  over  the  vault,  is  a  large  balcony,  from  which 
one  can  see  part  of  the  town,  the  harbour,  and  the  surrounding 
neighbourhood.  The  citadel  is  a  new  work,  and  not  quite  finish- 
The  English  speak  with  a  kind  of  exultation  of  the  fortifica 
tions  of  Quebec,  and  compare  it  to  Gibraltar.  I  also  expected 
something  extraordinary,  but  cannot  say  that  my  expectations 
were  gratified.  The  heights  near  the  town  are  the  well-known 
plains  of  Abraham,  or  more  correctly  heights  of  Abraham,  upon 
which  on  the  12th  of  September,  1759,  the  battle  between  the 
English  general,  Wolfe,  and  the  French  general,  Marquis  Mont- 


93 

calm,  took  place;  a  battle  which  cost  the  lives  of  both  general}?, 
and  in  which  the  French  were  defeated  with  the  loss  of  the  town 
and  colony. 

General  Wolfe  took  possession  of  the  Isle  d'Orleans,  and  made 
himself  master  of  Point  Levi.  The  Marquis  de  Montcalm, 
upon  the  heights  by  the  falls  of  Montmorency,  with  his  army  in 
a  fortified  position,  heroically  received  the  attack  of  General  Wolfe 
and  drove  him  back,  with  great  loss  to  the  English  army.  On 
this  occasion,  General  Wolfe  embarked  his  men  in  the  night, 
took  advantage  of  the  darkness  to  pass  the  town,  sailed  up  the  St. 
Lawrence,  and  disembarked  at  the  place  that  is  now  called  Wolfe's 
cove.  He  mounted  the  rock  with  a  great  deal  of  difficulty,  and  then 
put  his  army  at  the  break  of  day  in  order  of  battle  on  the  Heights 
of  Abraham.  To  assist  the  town,  and  drive  the  English  from 
the  heights  of  Abraham,  the  Marquis  de  Montcalm  found  it  v  ne 
cessary  to  leave  his  impregnable  position  at  Montmorency,  and  to 
cross,  by  a  bridge  secured  by  double  piers,  over  the  river  St. 
Charles.  He  now,  with  Quebec  in  his  rear,  drew  up  his  army 
upon  the  heights  in  good  order  and  gave  battle,  the  result  of  which 
was  unfortunate  to  him  and  his  government.  *?•  - 

The  English  engineers  make  use  of  bricks  which  are  burned 
in  England,  for  building  the  casemates  of  the  fortification.  A 
thousand  of  these  bricks  cost  the  government,  including  trans 
portation,  two  pounds  ten  shillings!  The  reason  they  give  is, 
that  the  bricks  burned  here,  crack  in  the  winter.  I  rather  believe 
that  the  preference  of  these  foreign  bricks  has  some  other  reason. 

The  arsenal  is  a  large,  yet  not  bomb-proof  building,  in  which 
there  are  more  than  twenty  thousand  muskets,  and  some  useful 
pistols.  We  also  saw  here  several  very  handsomely  ornamented 
single  and  double-barrel  guns,  which  are  kept  for  the  purpose  of 
making  presents  to  Indian  chiefs. 

The  upper  part  of  the  town  is  very  old  and  angular,  the  streets 
are  muddy,  and  many  not  paved.  Both  towns  contain  about 
twenty-five  thousand  inhabitants.  The  Catholic  cathedral  is  quite 
a  handsome  building;  it  has  three  altars,  and  paintings  of  but  lit 
tle  value.  On  account  of  the  coldness  of  the  climate  the  church 
is  floored.  The  inside  of  the  church  is  divided  like  English 
churches,  into  aisles.  It  is  near  the  seminary,  an  old  French 
building,  with  massive  walls,  having  four  corners  like  a  bastion. 
In  this  seminary  resides  the  Bishop  of  Quebec.  We  had  already 
been  introduced  to  Bishop  Plessis,  in  the  house  of  Sir  Francis 
Burton,  and  found  him  a  very  agreeable  and  well-informed  man. 
He  is  the  son  of  a  butcher  of  Montreal,  and  has  elevated  himself 
by  his  own  merit.  A  few  years  ago  he  travelled  through  England, 
France,  and  Italy,  where  he  received  the  title  of  Archbishop  of 
Canada,  from  the  pope.  The  English  government  in  the  mean 


94 

time,  took  into  consideration,  whether  they  would  recognise 
his  title,  because  he  would,  as  archbishop,  rank  in  the  Canadian 
parliament  before  the  English  episcopal  bishop.  We  paid  our  re 
spects  to  this  worthy  man.  He  received  us  kindly,  surrounded 
by  many  young  priests.  His  secretary  showed  us  the  building 
and  the  garden.  The  scholars  had  a  vacation,  and  the  house  was 
deserted.  They  are  not  all  destined  for  the  priesthood;  the  most 
respectable  people  of  this  country  have  their  sons  brought  up  in 
this  institution,  in  which  they  receive  a  very  good  education. 
The  Catholic  clergy  are  very  much  respected  here,  and  they  are 
said  to  deserve  it,  on  account  of  the  information  they  possess,  and 
the  benefactions  they  bestow.  The  English  government  left  them 
all  the  emoluments  and  prerogatives  which  they  possessed  before 
the  colony  was  conquered.  On  this  account,  the  clergy  are  obe 
dient  to  the  government,  and  exert  their  best  influence  over  the 
people  in  favour  of  the  government.  In  the  seminary  is  a  small 
philosophical  apparatus.  The  natural  history  cabinet  is  not  very 
rich;  the  best  part  of  it  is  a  collection  of  East  India  shells.  The 
garden  of  the  seminary  is  rather  large,  and  serves  as  a  fruit  and 
vegetable  garden,  &c. 

Nine  miles  from  Quebec  is  the  waterfall  of  Montmorcncy,  to 
which  we  travelled,  escorted  by  Colonel  Duchesnay.  The  road 
passed  through  the  palace  gate.  This  is  the  gate  where  General 
Arnold  made  his  attack,  when  he  stormed  the  place  in  December, 
1775,  and  was  wounded  in  the  leg.  His  column  had  already 
pressed  into  the  city,  and  would  certainly  have  taken  the  town, 
if  General  Montgomery,  who  attacked  the  lower  town  from  the 
side  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  had  met  him  at  the  same  time.  This, 
however,  was  impossible,  as  General  Montgomery  fell,  and  after 
his  death  his  division  fell  into  confusion,  and  retreated.  An 
English  artillerist,  returning  to  the  only  cannon  placed  there, 
which  had  already  been  deserted,  set  a  match  to  it,  killed  this 
hero^with  twelve  men,  and  thus  saved  the  town. 

We  crossed  the  river  St.  Charles  over  a  long  well  built  wooden 
bridge,  and  continued  our  journey  partly  on  a  road  cut  through 
the  rock,  having  the  St.  Lawrence  always  in  view.  The  neigh 
bourhood  is  well  cultivated;  several  farm-houses  have  a  very  an- 
:ient  appearance.  The  handsomest  of  them  belongs  to  the  semi 
nary  at  Quebec,  and  serves  the  priests  as  a  pleasure  ground. 
About  the  middle  of  the  road  is  the  village  Beaufort,  where  one 
has  a  very  good  prospect  of  the  city,  the  right  bank  of  the  St. 
Lawrence,  the  Isle  d'Orleans,  and  down  the  stream.  We  left  the 
carnage  at  the  river  Montmorency,  over  which  a  wooden  bridge 

thrown,  and  walked  nearly  to  where  the  Montmorency  empties 
If  into  the  St.  Lawrence.     At  that  place  are  the  falls,  two  hun 
dred  and  seventy-five  feet  high.    The  surrounding  country  is  ex- 


95 

traordinarily  beautiful.  Near  the  waterfall  is  a  cave,  where  the 
soil  is  either  sunk,  or  washed  away  by  the  water;  it  is  a  narrow 
deep  crack  in  the  earth,  which  you  cannot  behold  without  shud 
dering.  When  the  water  is  high,  there  are  three  falls.  The  mid 
dle  one  precipitates  directly  down,  the  two  others  cross  over  the 
middle  one.  The  drought,  however,  of  the  summer  of  1825,  and 
a  canal,  which  drains  the  water  from  the  river  to  drive  saw  and 
other  mills,  has  lessened  the  quantity  of  water  in  the  river,  so  that 
only  one  of  the  three  falls  has  water,  and  instead  of  seeing;  the 
other  two,  you  perceive  the  bare  rock.  This  rock  is  slate.  At 
Quebec  and  Point  Levi,  it  is  limestone;  in  Quebec  it  is  inter 
spersed  with  silicious  crystals,  hence  its  name  Cape  Diamond. 
The  stones  of  Point  Levi  are  used  for  building  houses  and  fortifi 
cations;  all  copings  are  made  of  this  stone.  Most  of  the  trees  in 
this  neighbourhood  are  cedar.  Below  the  falls  of  St.  Lawrence 
they  have  constructed  a  little  harbour  by  means  of  two  piers, 
whence  they  trade  in  boards  on  account  of  its  nearness  to  the  saw 
mills.  About  a  mile  and  a  half  above  the  great  falls,  in  the  same 
river,  are  others.  The  channel  at  these  falls  is  very  narrow  be 
tween  the  rocks,  and  formed  like  stairs;  on  this  account,  they  are 
called  the  natural  stairs;  resembling  very  much,  though  in  minia 
ture,  the  falls  of  Trenton,  near  Utica,  and  are  situated  in  a  thick 
forest  of  fir,  pine,  and  cedar  trees.  The  road  from  the  bridge  to 
this  place,  and  hence  to  the  turnpike,  is  a  very  obscure  foot 
path  through  the  woods. 

On  the  second  and  last  day  of  my  sojourn  at  Quebec,  I  went 
to  the  parade,  escorted  by  Colonels  Durnford  and  Duchcsnay.  I 
was  pleasantly  taken  by  surprise,  when  I  found  the  whole  garri 
son  under  arms.  The  commanding  officers  wished  to  show  me 
their  corps.  On  the  right  wing  stood  two  companies  of  artillery, 
then  a  company  of  sappers  and  minors,  after  this,  the  sixty-eighth, 
and  lastly,  the  seventy -first  regiment  of  infantry.  The  last  is  a 
light  regiment,  and  consists  of  Scotch  Highlanders;  it  appeared 
to  be  in  particularly  good  condition.  This  regiment  is  not  dressed 
in  the  Highland  uniform,  which  was  only  worn  by  some  of  the 
buglemen.  It  has  a  very  good  band  of  buglemen,  who  wear  cu 
rious  caps,  made  of  blue  woollen,  bordered  below  with  red  and 
white  stripes.  The  troops  defiled  twice  before  me. 

On  the  Gth  of  September  we  sat  out  in  the  steam-boat  for  Mon 
treal.  Sir  Francis  sent  us  his  carriage,  which  was  very  useful  to 
the  ladies.  On  the  dock  stood  a  company  of  the  sixty-eighth  re 
giment,  with  their  flag  displayed  as  a  guard  of  honour,  which  I 
immediately  dismissed.  The  fortification  saluted  us  with  twenty- 
one  guns;  this  caused  a  very  fine  echo  from  the  mountains.  Night 
soon  set  in,  but  we  had  sufficient  light  to  take  leave  of  the  mag 
nificent  vicinity  of  Quebec. 


96 

The  journey,  of  course,  was  more  tedious  in  ascending  than  in 
descending  the  river.  Fortunately  the  tide  was  in  our  favour 
during  the  night,  until  we  passed  the  rapids  of  Richelieu.  In  the 
morning  we  stopt  at  Trois  Rivieres  to  take  in  wood;  we  then  went 
slowly  on.  I  employed  this  leisure  in  writing,  but  was  often  in 
terrupted.  In  this  boat  they  have  four  meals  daily,  and  at  every 
repast  they  drove  me  from  my  writing  place.  In  the  morning  at 
seven  o'clock,  they  ring  the  bell  for  the  passengers  to  rise  and  dress; 
at  eight  o'clock  breakfast  is  served,  which  consists  of  tea,  coffee, 
sausages,  ham,  beefsteak,  and  eggs;  at  twelve,  they  take  luncheon; 
at  four,  dine;  at  eight,  take  tea;  and  an  hour  before  every  meal 
they  set  the  table.  The  weather  was  cloudy  nearly  the  whole 
day;  it  began  to  rain  towards  evening,  and  continued  raining 
through  the  night 

At  Sorel,  or  William  Henry,  we  came  to,  in  order  to  land  some 
passengers,  and  take  in  wood.  This  place  is  situated  on  the  right 
bank  of  both  rivers,  at  the  confluence  of  the  Sorel  or  Richelieu, 
(the  only  outlet  of  Lake  Cham  plain,)  with  the  St.  Lawrence.  The 
French  built  a  fort  here,  which  stands  yet,  if  such  bad  palisades, 
barracks,  and  arsenals,  deserve  that  name.  The  town  itself  was 
built  in  the  year  1785,  by  the  so  called  American  tories  and  dis 
charged  soldiers.  It  contains  two  churches,  about  one  hundred 
houses,  and  six  hundred  inhabitants,  whose  houses  are  mostly  of 
wood,  and  stand  separately  in  the  streets,  which  are  arranged  in 
squares,  and  occupy  a  great  space.  It  is  built  on  a  sandy  soil,  and 
has  a  poor  aspect.  Generally  speaking,  the  towns  in  Canada  bear 
a  very  poor  comparison  with  those  of  the  United  States,  and  will 
never  arrive  at  the  same  point,  because  the  settlers  in  Canada  are 
mostly  poor  Scotchmen  and  Irishmen,  who  come  out  at  the  ex 
pense  of  the  government;  they  receive  land,  and  are  oppressed 
by  the  feudal  system,  which  opposes  all  prosperity;  emigrants, 
however,  who  possess  some  property,  and  have  an  ambitious 
spirit,  settle  themselves  in  the  United  States,  where  nobody  is 
oppressed;  on  the  contrary,  where  all  the  laws  are  in  their 
favour. 

At  Fort  Sorel  is  stationed  a  garrison,  a  detachment  of  the 
seventieth  regiment,  commanded  by  a  sergeant;  an  artillery  de 
tachment  which  was  moving  to  Montreal,  tied  its  sloop  to  our 
steam-boat,  and  came  on  board;  the  artillerymen  mostly  intoxi- 
Towards  evening,  we  learned  that  the  sloop  contained 
three  boxes  of  gunpowder,  which  caused  us  a  great  deal  of  un 
easiness.  The  danger  was  so  much  the  greater,  as  the  sparks 
were  continually  flying  from  the  pipe  of  the  steam-boat,  which  the 
Irove  towards  the  sloop.  I  was  one  of  the  first  who  re 
ceived  the  information,  and  immediately  gave  the  alarm.  All  the 
passengers  agreed  in  persuading  the  captain  during  this  rainy  and 


97 

stormy  night  to  remove  the  sloop  some  distance  from  our  boat, 
and  place  in  it  an  officer  and  three  of  the  least  intoxicated  artil 
lerymen.  The  night  was  dark,  and  we  were  compelled  to  cast 
anchor  and  remain  till  morning. 

The  next  morning  the  weather  was  still  cloudy  and  rainy;  the 
storm  was  particularly  strong,  and  the  wind  ahead.  The  ma 
chinery  was  too  weak  to  make  any  progress.  We  therefore  saw 
Montreal  three  hours  before  we  could  reach  it;  the  current  parti 
cularly  was  so  strong  between  Montreal  and  the  Isle  of  St.  Helen, 
that  in  spite  of  the  machinery  we  were  driven  backwards.  At 
last  we  were  obliged  to  draw  up  the  boat  by  aid  of  six  oxen,  two 
horses,  and  ten  men.  The  Lady  Sherbrook,  however,  is  one  of 
the  oldest  steam-boats  on  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  the  captain  him 
self  confessed  that  she  was  so  rotten  that  she  was  not  worth  repair 
ing,  and  will  soon  be  condemned.  About  4  o'clock  in  the  after 
noon,  after  we  had  been  forty-six  hours  on  our  journey,  which 
took  but  twenty-six  hours  going  down,  we  were  landed  at  Mon 
treal.  The  battery  on  the  Island  of  St.  Helen  saluted  us  with 
twenty-one  guns.  The  first  information  we  received  was,  that 
fifty  houses  were  burned  down  yesterday  in  the  suburbs  of  the 
town,  and  that  this  misfortune  fell  mostly  upon  the  poorer  class, 
whose  houses  were  not  insured. 

Mr.  Bingham,  from  Philadelphia,  who  married  a  rich  heiress 
here,  and  turned  Catholic  to  get  possession  of  her  estate,  gave  a 
ball  to-day,  in  honour  of  the  first  birth-day  of  his  only  daugh 
ter,  and  politely  invited  our  company.  We  accepted  the  invita 
tion,  and  rode  to  the  ball  at  9  o'clock.  He  was  twenty-four  years 
of  age,  and  his  wife  nineteen;  has  many  friends,  because  his  cellar 
is  well  filled,  and  has  the  talent  to  spend  his  money  liberally 
among  the  people.  We  found  assembled  in  his  rich  and  taste 
fully  furnished  halls  the  whole  fashionable  world  of  Montreal. 
They  mostly  dance  French  contra  dances,  commonly  called  Spa 
nish  dances.  To  the  contra  dances,  in  honour  of  the  officers 
of  the  seventieth  regiment,  who  are  the  favourite  young  gen 
tlemen,  they  have  adopted  tedious  Scotch  melodies;  to  the  Spanish 
dances  they  played  German  waltzes.  The  native  ladies  conversed 
in  very  soft  Canadian  bad  French,  not  even  excepting  our  hand 
some  landlady.  I  took  particular  notice  of  a  Miss  Ermatinger, 
the  daughter  of  a  Swiss,  and  an  Indian  woman,  on  account  of  her 
singular  but  very  beautiful  Indian  countenance.  She  was  dress 
ed  in  the  best  taste  of  all,  and  danced  very  well.  Indeed  there 
was  a  great  deal  of  animation  at  this  ball,  as  well  as  a  great  deal 
of  luxury,  particularly  a  profusion  of  silver  plate  and  glass  in  the 
house  of  Mr.  Bingham,  whose  sister  is  the  wife  of  the  banker, 
Baring,  of  London. 

VOL.  I.  13 


98 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Journey  from  Montreal  to  New  York. — Isle  Aux  Noix.— 
Lake  Champlain. — Lake  George. — Falls  of  Hudson.— 
Glenn9 s  Falls.— Saratoga  Springs. Saratoga  Battle 
ground. — Shaker  Settlement  at  New  Lebanon. — Military 
School  at  West  Point. 

AS  the  season  was  so  far  advanced,  I  wished  to  reach  New 
York  without  delay.  We  therefore  concluded  to  travel  soon,  and 
visit  Lake  Champlain  to  its  southern  extremity,  then  to  Saratoga, 
Albany,  and  further  down  the  Hudson  to  New  York,  taking  the 
Catskill  mountains  by  the  way,  and  inspecting  the  famous  mili 
tary  school  of  West  Point.  With  this  view,  on  Friday,  the  9th 
of  September,  we  went  on  board  the  steam-boat  Montreal,  which 
runs  between  Montreal  and  the  right  bank  of  the  river.  Lieuten 
ant-Colonel  McGregor  and  Major  Loring  escorted  us  to  the  boat. 
In  half  an  hour  we  found  ourselves  on  the  other  side  of  the  river. 
We  landed  near  the  village  Longueuil,  where  stage-coaches 
awaited  us,  which  carried  us  and  our  baggage  to  St.  John,  situated 
on  the  river  Richelieu,  about  twenty-seven  miles  from  Longueuil. 
The  road  lies  several  miles  along  the  banks  of  the  river  St.  Law 
rence,  till  you  arrive  to  the  village  of  La  Prairie.  In  this  village 
we  took  our  leave  of  this  noble  neighbourhood  and  majestic 
stream,  on  whose  banks  we  had  tarried  so  agreeably.  The  road 
led  through  a  plain,  which  was  very  little  cultivated,  and  contain 
ing  few  trees.  We  only  met  with  a  single  village  called  Lavane. 
Here  and  there  we  observed  some  larch  trees.  About  half  past 
one  in  the  afternoon,  we  reached  the  village  of  St.  John,  having 
arrived  a  mile  from  the  above-named  village,  at  the  river  Riche 
lieu.  Here  we  went  on  board  the  American  steam-boat  Phoenix, 
in  order  to  sail  for  Whitehall.  This  vessel  deserves  the  name, 
because  the  boat,  whose  place  it  supplies,  was  of  the  same  name, 
and  burned  some  years  ago  on  Lake  Champlain.  The  new  Phoe 
nix  is  commodious  and  clean,  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  long, 
having  machinery  of  forty-six  horse-power.  Both  banks  of  the 
river  were  thickly  timbered.  Ten  miles  above  St.  John  we 
reached  an  island  called  Isle  Aux  Noix,  the  last  English  strong 
post  on  Lake  Champlain.  The  captain  had  the  politeness  to  tarry 
here  a  short  time,  in  order  that  I  might  survey  the  island  and  its 
fortifications. 

Isle  Aux  Noix  contains  about  ninety  acres,  and  is  very  flat  and 


99 

swampy.  The  fort  is  called  Fort  Lenox,  in  honour  of  the  late 
duke  of  Richmond ;  it  consists  of  a  regular  square,  with  four  bas 
tions  and  two  ravelins,  and  is  built  according  to  the  system  of 
Vaubans.  On  account  of  the  swampy  ground,  the  fortification 
which  anciently  stood  here,  is  almost  sunk.  The  revetement  is 
a  half  one,  and  formed  of  wood,  as  well  as  the  scarp  and  counter 
scarp.  The  whole  lower  wall  consists  of  roots  of  trees,  mostly 
cedar,  placed  horizontally  crosswise,  and  only  those  roots  which 
constitute  the  revetement  stand  upright.  On  the  horizontal  roots 
earth  is  thrown  and  rammed.  The  engineers  believe  that  this 
costly  work  will  stand  thirty  years.  I  however  believe  it 
would  have  been  better  if  they  had  rammed  the  roots  into  the 
ground  and  put  a  grate  upon  that,  and  then  a  strong  stone  revete 
ment,  or  still  better  if  they  had  arched  it  en  decharge.  The  two 
ravelins,  whose  basis  is  also  of  wood,  lie  before  the  northern  and 
southern  front.  Under  the  curtain  of  the  eastern  front,  they  have 
built  casemates  for  the  garrison.  Near  the  gate  in  the  wall  are 
small  arsenals,  and  on  the  inside  of  the  fort  stands  the  guard-house, 
which  also  contains  the  prison.  The  base  of  this  fortification,  as 
well  as  the  few  buildings  which  stand  within,  are  bomb-proof. 
The  houses  are  built  of  blue  limestone  which  comes  from  the 
state  of  Vermont.  A  road  covered  with  palisades  surrounds  the 
fort.  I  observed  here  palisades  which  can  be  knocked  down 
backwards,  and  might  be  advantageous  in  case  of  accident, 
whilst  I  took  a  survey  of  this  work,  accompanied  by  Captain 
Reed  of  the  seventieth  regiment,  who  is  commandant,  and  has 
already  been  in  garrison  here  one  year  with  his  company,  also  by 
the  two  engineer  officers.  Northward  of  the  fort  stands  the  navy- 
yard,  which  is  in  the  same  situation  as  it  was  at  the  period  of  the 
treaty  of  Ghent.  There  were  about  twelve  gun-boats  under  cover, 
and  a  frigate  of  thirty -six  guns  on  the  stocks,  whose  keel  and  ske 
leton  has  rotted  ever  since.  A  naval  magazine,  and  the  dwellings 
of  the  officers,  overseers,  and  workmen  of  the  wharf,  stand  behind 
the  navy-yard.  The  two  branches  of  the  stream  separating  the 
island  from  the  main  land  are  tolerably  small,  and  the  shores  are 
covered  with  trees. 

Eleven  miles  above  Isle  Aux  Noix  we  left  Canada  and  again 
reached  the  territories  of  the  United  States.  At  the  point  where 
the  river  Sorel  leaves  Lake  Champlain,  and  where  we  entered 
into  the  latter,  the  American  government  has  erected  a  fort  call 
ed  Rous'  Point,  consisting  of  a  defensive  tower  with  casemates, 
which,  as  well  as  I  could  judge  in  passing,  appeared  to  have  been 
located  with  much  judgment  and  erected  at  a  small  expense.  This 
tower  completely  commands  the  communication  between  the  lake 
|  and  the  Sorel,  and  as  the  guns  are  all  under  cover,  the  garrison  has 


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hut  little  to  fear  from  the  vertical  fire  of  the  enemy's  infantry. 
The  fort  stands  on  a  cape.  According  to  the  treaty  of  Ghent,  the 
forty-fifth  degree  of  north  latitude,  between  the  state  of  Maine 
and  the  St.  Lawrence,  between  the  United  States  and  Canada, 
were  fixed  as  boundaries;  and  as  to  fulfil  the  terms  of  the  treaty, 
the  commissioners  determined  the  latitude  of  several  places  as 
tronomically,  it  has  been  discovered  that  this  fort  lies  somewhat 
north  of  forty-five  degrees,  and  consequently  is  on  the  Canadian 
side. 

The  greatest  breadth  of  Lake  Champlain,  which  contains  seve 
ral  large  islands,  is  six  miles.  The  shore  on  our  right,  belonging 
to  the  state  of  New  York,  is  low  and  covered  with  trees;  the 
other  belongs  to  Vermont,  and  is  more  mountainous.  As  night 
approached,  we  were  prevented  from  enjoying  this  beautiful  part 
of  the  country;  I  was  also  with  regret  prevented  from  seeing  the 
battle  ground  of  Plattsburgh,  at  which  town  the  vessel  made  a 
short  stay  during  the  night.  Some  American  custom-house  offi 
cers  came  on  board,  without,  however,  inquiring  after  our  bag 
gage,  and  this  was  a  new  and  not  disagreeable  circumstance. 

The  same  night  we  stopped  at  Burlington  in  Vermont,  and  the 
Grymes'  family  left  us  here  to  go  to  Boston.  I  expected  to  meet 
this  interesting  family  again  in  New  York  in  fourteen  days.  To 
wards  morning  we  passed  the  ruins  of  Fort  Crownpoint,  which 
lie  on  a  hill.  At  this  place  the  lake  is  very  narrow  and  resem 
bles  a  river.  The  shores  are  generally  covered  with  bushes  and 
pine  trees,  are  hilly,  and  afford  a  pleasing  prospect.  At  the  vil 
lage  of  Shoreham,  twelve  miles  above  Crownpoint,  on  the  east 
ern  shore  of  Vermont,  we  left  the  Phoenix,  which  went  twenty 
miles  further  to  Whitehall,  the  southern  point  of  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  and  landed  to  see  Lake  George,  which  is  celebrated  for  its 
romantic  situation  and  shores.  Sir  Michael  and  Lady  Clare  con 
tinued  with  us,  and  resolved  not  to  part  from  us  till  we  arrived 
at  Albany,  after  which  they  would  travel  to  Boston.  As  a  slight 
recompense  for  the  loss  of  the  Grymes'  family,  Mr.  Shoemaker, 
and  his  wife,  from  Philadelphia,  bore  us  company  hence  to  Al 
bany.  They  were  Quakers,  but  had  laid  aside  the  striking  cos 
tume  of  their  sect. 

At  the  inn  of  Shoreham  is  a  place  for  loading  and  unloading 
vessels,  which  transport  much  plaster  of  Paris  and  blue  limestone 
for  building,  to  Canada.  Among  the  stones  on  the  shore  we  found 
some  which  appeared  to  be  rich  iron  ore,  said  to  be  common  in 
Vermont.  At  the  inn  we  met  with  an  elderly  lady  of  the  middle 
rank,  who  was  smoking  tobacco;  this  custom  is  said  to  be  preva 
lent  here  among  elderly  women.  We  passed  over  the  lake, 
scarcely  half  a  mile  wide,  in  a  wherry,  and  landed  on  the  other 
shore,  not  far  from  the  ruins  of  Fort  Ticonderoga.  This  in  an  old 


101 

French  fort,  lying  on  an  elevated  cape,  which  commands  the 
navigation  of  the  lake.  From  the  ruins  we  saw  that  it  was  a 
square  with  four  small  bastions  and  three  ravelins,  the  scarp, 
and  the  counterscarp  being  covered  with  strong  stone- work;  the 
bastion  contains  casemates  as  well  as  the  curtain  of  the  eastern 
front.  Several  massive  buildings  stood  in  the  fort  so  that  it  must 
have  had  but  little  room.  About  three  hundred  paces  east  of  the 
fort,  on  the  extremity  of  the  cape,  stands  a  small  pentagonal  re 
doubt,  which  communicated  with  the  fort  by  means  of  a  covered 
way.  The  cape  is  connected  with  the  main  land  of  New  York  by 
means  of  a  neck  of  land,  which  was  cut  off  by  a  crownwork, 
consisting  of  earth.  The  eminence  on  which  this  crownwork 
lies,  in  some  measure  commands  the  fort,  and  an  entrenched 
camp  seems  to  have  been  located  here.  Between  the  fort  and 
crownwork  we  remarked  the  remains  of  two  square  redoubts.  On 
the  same  shore,  south  of  the  fort,  but  separated  from  it  by  an  in 
let  of  the  lake,  lies  Mount  Defiance,  which  commands  the  fort  in 
a  great  degree,  and  from  which,  in  July,  1777,  the  English,  un 
der  General  Burgoyne,  bombarded  the  fort,  which  was  too  quickly 
evacuated  by  the  Americans,  under  General  St.  Clair.  On  the 
eastern  shore  of  the  lake,  opposite  Ticonderoga,  lies  another 
hill,  Mount  Independence,  of  the  same  height  as  the  fort  on 
which  the  Americans  had  formed  their  works  at  that  time,  under 
the  protection  of  which  they  passed  the  lake  after  the  evacuation 
of  the  fort.  This  was  afterwards  destroyed  by  the  English.  In 
July,  1758,  when  the  fort  still  belonged  to  the  French,  the  Eng 
lish  attacked  it,  but  were  repulsed  with  a  loss  of  eighteen  hundred 
men. 

From  Ticonderoga  we  went  in  a  stage  three  miles  further  to 
Lake  George,  through  a  very  hilly  country.  The  level  of  this 
lake  is  about  three  hundred  feet  higher  than  that  of  Lake  Cham- 
plain;  the  stream  which  flows  from  the  former  into  the  latter  lake, 
forms  a  succession  of  small  cascades,  and  turns  several  saw-mills. 
We  arrived  at  the  northern  point  of  Lake  George,  and  entered 
the  steam-boat  Mountaineer,  which  was  ready  to  depart;  it  was 
ninety  feet  long  with  a  machine  of  sixteen  horse-power. 

Lake  George  resembles  the  Scottish  lakes.  It  is  thirty-six 
miles  long,  and  never  more  than  five  miles  broad.  The  shores 
are  very  hilly,  the  heights  are  all  covered  with  trees,  and  are  not, 
as  it  seems  to  me,  above  eight  hundred  feet  high.  There  are  se 
veral  islands  in  the  lake,  generally  covered  with  wood.  A  single 
one,  called  Diamond  Island,  on  account  of  the  handsome  crystals 
which  are  found  in  it,  is  inhabited.  The  inhabitants  consist  of 
an  Indian  family,  which  lives  in  a  small  house,  and  maintains  itself 
by  selling  these  crystals.  About  five  o'clock  in  the  evening,  we 
arrived  at  the  southern  point  of  the  lake.  The  scenery  is  very 


102 

handsome.  One  of  the  highest  mountains,  which  rises  perpen 
dicularly  out  of  the  lake,  is  called  Rodgers'  rock,  after  an  Ame 
rican  Captain  Rodgers,  who  being  hunted  by  the  Indians,  during 
the  revolution,  fled  to  the  top  of  this  rock,  and  in  extremely  cold 
weather,  being  urged  by  danger,  glided  on  the  smooth  surface 
down  to  the  frozen  lake.  Towns  are  not  seen;  but  few  single 
houses  stand  along  the  shore.  At  the  southern  extremity,  how 
ever,  lies  the  village  of  Caldwell,  founded  about  twenty  years  ago, 
which,  besides  a  very  good  and  large  inn,  where  we  took  lodg 
ings,  contains  several  neat  houses.  In  former  times,  an  English 
fort,  William  Henry,  stood  here,  which,  to  judge  from  its  few 
remains,  must  have  been  a  square  redoubt  of  earth.  It  was 
built  in  the  year  1755,  by  order  of  Sir  William  Johnstone,  who 
commanded  the  English  army  in  the  then  colony  of  New  York,  af 
ter  having  completely  routed,  on  September  the  8th,  1755,  aFrench 
corps  which  had  come  from  Ticonderoga  to  attack  him.  In  this 
rencontre,  Baron  Dieskau,  a  French  general  lost  his  life.  In  the 
following  year,  however,  Marquis  de  Montcalm  arrived  with  a 
stronger  force  and  captured  the  fort.  A  capitulation  was  allowed 
to  the  English  garrison,  but  they  were  attacked  after  leaving  the 
fort,  by  the  Indians,  in  a  disgraceful  manner,  and  the  greater  part 
cut  to  pieces.  After  the  fort  was  taken,  the  Marquis  de  Mont- 
calm  ordered  it  to  be  destroyed.  Not  far  from  this  place,  in  a 
higher  station  and  on  a  rocky  ground,  the  English  erected  after 
wards  a  new  fort,  called  Fort  George,  which,  at  the  unsuccessful 
expedition  of  General  Burgoyne,  in  1777,  served  his  army  as  a 
depot  and  magazine,  till  he  moved  too  far  forward  and  was  cut 
off  from  the  fort.  Remains  of  it  are  still  plainly  seen.  It  was  a 
strongly-built  square  redoubt,  the  entrance  being  protected  by  a 
Jhche.  It  lies  in  an  advantageous  situation,  commands  the  whole 
southern  shore  of  the  lake,  with  a  large  part  of  the  vicinity,  stands, 
as  was  said  before,  on  a  strong  ground,  and  is  covered  on  one  side 
by  a  morass.  On  the  eastern  side  alone,  it  is  commanded  by  a 
high  mountain,  which,  however,  is  at  some  distance.  If  the  Ame 
rican  government  should  resolve  to  restore  Crownpoint  and  Ti 
conderoga,  the  latter  particularly  would  be  adapted,  after  fortify 
ing  the  two  mountains,  Defiance  and  Independence,  for  an  arse 
nal  of  a  superior  kind;  it  might  contain  large  depots,  serve  as  a 
fortified  camp,  and  be  successfully  defended  by  a  small  garrison. 
Here  fleets  might  be  completed  to  command  Lake  Champlain, 
and  an  expedition  against  Isle  Aux  Noix  and  Canada  organized. 
However,  a  good  road  would  be  necessary,  leading  from  Ticon 
deroga  to  the  northern  point  of  Lake  George,  three  miles  distant, 
and  here  it  would  be  necessary  to  protect  the  place  of  embarka 
tion  by  a  fort  A  new  fort  on  the  same  spot  where  Fort  George 
was  erected,  would  be  necessary.  There  is  a  good  locality  between 


103 

this  fort  and  Fort  William  Henry  to  found  a  dock-yard.  The 
communication  between  Ticonderoga  and  the  United  States  would 
be  well  and  doubly  protected  by  the  southern  point  of  Lake  Cham- 
plain,  towards  Whitehall,  and  by  Lake  George.  If  the  English 
should  attack  the  United  States  on  this  side,  they  would  undoubt 
edly  waste  much  strength,  and  not  advance  a  step,  unless  they 
had  seized  Ticonderoga. 

We  left  Caldwell  at  eight  o'clock  the  next  day,  September  11, 
in'  two  inconvenient  carriages,  and  passed  through  a  very  unin 
teresting,  deep,  sandy  road,  in  a  hilly  country,  covered  with 
thorny  trees,  on  our  route  to  Saratoga  springs,  to  which  the  whole 
fashionable  world  of  the  United  States  repairs  in  summer,  for  the 
fashionables  have  here  the  same  mania  which  prevails  in  other 
countries,  to  visit  the  baths  in  summer,  whether  sick  or  well. 
The  distance  is  twenty-seven  miles.  On  our  passage,  we  saw  but 
one  interesting  object — the  Hudson  falls,  which  river  we  had  left 
at  Albany,  and  reached  again  nine  miles  from  Caldwell,  coming 
from  the  west. 

These  falls  are  known  under  the  name  of  Glenn's  Falls.  A  vil 
lage  of  the  same  name  is  built  in  their  vicinity,  on  the  rocky 
shores  of  the  river.  The  river  is  crossed  by  means  of  a  pendant 
wooden  bridge.  The  arches  rest  on  pillars,  consisting  of  large 
beams,  which  lie  across  each  other,  as  tit-mouse  traps  are  con 
structed  in  my  native  country;  the  bridge  might  therefore  be 
called  bird-cage  bridge.  These  cages  rest  on  a  foundation  of 
limestone,  cut  through  by  the  Hudson  in  its  course.  This  river 
is  really  a  remarkable  sight  in  this  sandy  country.  Above  the 
bridge  it  is  one  hundred  and  sixty  yards  broad,  and  crossed  by  a 
dam,  which  conducts  the  water  to  the  saw-mills  along  the  banks. 
A  single  rock,  on  which,  also,  *a  saw-mill  stands,  divides  into 
two  parts,  the  principal  fall,  which  is  forty  feet  high.  But  there 
are,  both  above  and  below  the  principal  falls,  a  number  of  smaller 
falls,  which  we  could  approach  with  ease,  as  the  water  was  very 
low.  These  falls  are  not  indeed  to  be  numbered  among  the 
largest,  but  among  the  handsomest  falls  which  I  have  seen.  A 
constant  mist  arises  from  them,  and,  as  the  sun  shone  very  bril 
liantly,  we  saw  several  rainbows  at  the  same  time.  In  the  rock, 
as  at  Niagara,  we  observed  some  remarkable  and  deep  cavities. 
They  arise  from  the  flintstones  which  are  scattered  throughout 
the  limestone,  and  are  washed  away  by  the  violence  of  the  water. 
When  these  flintstones  meet  with  resistance,  or  fall  into  a  small 
cavity,  they  are  constantly  agitated  by  the  falling  water,  and  mov 
ing  in  a  circular  direction,  form  by  degrees  deep  cavities  in 
the  soft  limestone.  At  the  base  of  the  small  island,  which  divides 
the  chief  fall  into  two  parts,  a  remarkable  cave  appears  below  the 
falls,  leading  to  the  other  side  of  the  rock;  this  was  also  undoubt- 


104 

cdly  made  by  the  washing  of  the  water.  The  saw-mills,  all  of 
wood,  occupy  a  bold  position  over  the  falls,  and  appear  besides, 
to  be  in  such  a  state  of  decay,  that  a  fear  arises,  lest  they  should 
soon  fall  into  the  abyss.  The  Hudson  is  partly  navigable  above 
Glenn's  Falls,  and  two  miles  further  up,  feeds  a  navigable  canal, 
with  thirteen  locks,  which  runs  seven  miles  north  of  the  Hudson, 
and  then  joins  Champlain  canal. 

We  arrived  at  Saratoga  at  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and 
stopped  at  Congress  Hall.  The  greater  part  of  the  company  had 
already  departed,  so  that  but  forty  persons  remained;  among  these 
was  the  governor  of  the  state  of  New  York,  the  celebrated  De 
Witt  Clinton.  *  I  was  immediately  introduced  to  his  excellency, 
and  very  well  received  by  this  great  statesman. 

The  water  of  the  springs  is  cold,  of  a  somewhat  salt  taste,  and 
stronger  than  the  mineral  water  of  Eger.  It  is  said  to  act  very 
beneficially  as  a  tonic.  When  this  region  was  yet  covered  with 
forests,  inhabited  principally  by  Indians,  and  by  few  white  peo 
ple,  the  Indians  were  acquainted  with  the  virtues  of  this  water; 
only  one  spring,  however,  -High  Rock  Spring,  was  discovered. 
They  led  to  it  the  above-mentioned  Sir  William  Johnstone,  who 
was  much  beloved  by  the  Indians,  and  in  a  bad  state  of  health. 
By  drinking  this  water  he  regained  his  health,  and  thus  this 
spring  became  known.  It  is  not  above  twelve  years  since  a  be 
ginning  was  made  to  clear  the  ground,  and  build  houses;  at 
present,  more  than  a  hundred,  principally  of  wood,  form  a  street. 
They  are  generally  arranged  to  receive  strangers.  The  four 
largest  hotels  are  Congress  Hall,  Union  Hall,  the  Pavilion,  and 
the  United  States  Hotel,  the  last  of  brick,  the  three  former  of 
wood.  Congress  Hall  alone,  was  yet  open,  the  others  had  closed 
since  September  1st,  on  account  of  the  frost.  The  hotel  can  ac 
commodate  two  hundred  strangers.  In  the  evening  the  company 
assembles  in  the  large  halls  in  the  lower  story,  at  this  season, 
alas!  by  the  fire,  and  pass  the  time  in  music,  dancing,  or  con 
versation.  Games  of  chance  are  strictly  forbidden  by  the  laws 
of  the  state,  and  in  general,  public  opinion  in  the  United 
States  is  much  against  gaming.  I  was  told  that  at  a  watering- 
place  in  Pennsylvania,  three  genteel  young  men  once  arrived 
from  different  parts  of  the  United  States.  They  were  at  first 
very  well  received,  but  afterwards  were  found  to  be  gamblers. 
All  communication  with  them  was  immediately  broken  off  in  so 
striking  a  manner  that  they  were  soon  obliged  to  leave  the  place. 

The  different  springs,  which  do  not  lie  far  from  each  other  in 
a  swampy  ground  in  the  same  valley,  are  called  Hamilton,  Con 
gress,  Columbia,  Flat  Rock,  Munroe,  High  Rock,  President,  and 

*  [Since,  unfortunately  for  his  country,  deceased.] — TJRANS. 


105 

Red  Spring.  The  water  is  generally  drank,  but  baths  are  also 
erected.  High  Rock  Spring  flows  from  a  white  conical  lime 
stone  rock,  five  feet  high,  in  which  there  is  a  round  aperture 
above,  about  nine  inches  in  diameter,  through  which  the  water  in 
the  spring  is  seen  in  a  state  of  constant  agitation.  So  much  fixed 
air  escapes  from  it,  that  an  animal  held  over  it,  as  in  the  Grotto 
del  Cane,  near  Naples,  cannot  live  above  half  a  minute.  Mr. 
Shoemaker  held  his  head  over  the  opening,  and  though  he  had 
covered  it  with  a  handkerchief,  immediately  fainted  away;  he  re 
tained  besides,  during  several  days  after  this  experiment,  a  bad 
dry  cough.  The  vicinity  of  Saratoga  Springs  possesses  no  attrac 
tion.  Promenades  are  not  yet  constructed.  The  only  pleasure 
which  can  be  enjoyed  must  be  sought  in  company.  A  large 
piazza  is  built  before  Congress  Hall,  to  the  pillars  of  which  wild 
vines  are  attached,  which  almost  reach  the  roof.  I  passed  the 
evening  in  the  lower  parlour  by  the  fire,  with  the  governor  and 
Mr.  Schley,  from  Maryland,  in  very  agreeable  and  instructive 
conversation.  The  ladies  did  not  entertain  us  with  music,  be 
cause  it  was  Sunday. 

The  governor  had  the  kindness  to  give  me  some  letters  for 
New  York,  and  a  letter  of  introduction  to  the  Shakers  of  New 
Lebanon.  Furnished  with  these,  we  left  Saratoga  Springs,  Sep 
tember  12th,  at  9  o'clock,  in  a  convenient  stage  to  go  to  Albany, 
thirty-six  miles  distant.  We  passed  through  a  disagreeable  and 
sandy  country.  The  uniformity  was,  however,  very  pleasingly 
interrupted  by  Saratoga  lake,  which  is  eight  miles  long.  At  Still- 
water  village,  we  reached  the  Hudson.  Not  far  from  this,  runs 
the  new  Champlain  Canal,  which  was  commenced  at  the  same  time 
with  the  Erie  Canal,  but  is  not  yet  completed, and  which  I  mention 
ed  on  my  passage  from  Albany  to  Schenectady.  At  Stillwater  we 
visited  the  two  battle-grounds,  Freeman's  Farm  and  Bernis's 
Heights,  which  became  celebrated  September  19th,  and  Octo 
ber  7th,  1777.  These  actions,  as  is  known,  took  place  dur 
ing  the  expedition  of  Burgoyne.  They  closed  with  taking  the 
whole  corps  of  this  general,  to  which  also  the  Brunswick  troops, 
under  General  Von  Riedesel  belonged,  at  Saratoga. 

Our  guide  to  both  battle-grounds,  which  are  adjacent,  was  an 
octogenarian  farmer,  called  by  his  neighbours  Major  Buel,  be 
cause  he  had  been  the  guide  of  the  American  army  during  the 
campaign.  The  ground  has  since  greatly  changed;  wood  has 
grown  again,  so  that  with  the  exception  of  some  remains  of  the 
English  lines,  nothing  is  to  be  seen.  Not  far  from  the  river,  on 
an  eminence,  are  the  remains  of  a  very  small  work,  called  the 
great  English  redoubt.  Here  lies  General  Fraser,  of  whose  bu 
rial  Madam  Von  Riedesel  gives  a  description  so  attractive,  and 
yet  so  terrific.  I  broke  off,  near  his  grave,  a  small  branch  of  a 

VOL.  I.  14 


106 

pine  tree  to  present  it  to  Baron  Von  Riedescl,  Land-marshal 
of  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Saxe- Weimar.  I  inquired  after  the  house 
in  which  the  mother  of  the  latter  had  lived,  and  in  which  Gene 
ral  Fraser  died.  This  house  stands  no  longer  on  the  original 
spot,  as  the  canal  passed  through  its  site;  in  other  respects  it  is 
said  to  be  arranged  now,  as  it  was  then.  The  place  in  the  bar-room, 
where  General  Frazcr  died,  and  a  small  room  behind  this,  in  which 
Madam  Von  Riedesel  lived  with  her  children,  were  shown  me. 

At  the  small  town  of  Waterford  we  passed  along  the  left  shore 
of  the  Hudson  on  a  long  wooden  bridge,  to  avoid  a  bad  bridge 
over  the  Mohawk.  We  proceeded  on  our  route  in  the  night  on 
a  very  good  road,  and  passed  through  Lansingburg  and  Troy.  The 
latter  is  very  handsomely  built,  and  many  stores  are  very  well 
lighted  up  in  the  evening.  Here  we  returned  to  the  right  shore 
of  the  Hudson,  and  reached  Albany  at  10  o'clock  at  night. 

On  the  13th  of  September  I  went  with  Mr.  Tromp  in  a  stage 
coach  to  New  Lebanon,  twenty-eight  miles  from  Albany  to  see 
the  settlement  of  Shakers.  We  passed  through  Greenbush,  (where 
the  team-boat  put  us  on  the  left  side  of  the  Hudson,)  Schodack, 
Union,  Stephentown,  and  Canaan.  The  country  about  New  Le 
banon  is  extremely  handsome;  the  tops  of  the  mountains  are  co 
vered  with  trees,  and  the  lower  parts  well  cultivated.  The  val 
ley  is  wide,  with  very  neat  houses,  and  resembles  a  garden. 
Fruit  is  particularly  cultivated.  On  a  slight  eminence  at  the  foot 
of  a  mountain,  the  Shaker  village  is  very  beautifully  situated,  and 
is  about  one  mile  long.  The  houses  stand  in  groups  at  a  distance 
from  each  other,  in  general  large,  built  of  wood,  and  painted 
yellow;  the  church  alone,  or  rather  the  meeting-house,  is  wide, 
with  an  arched  roof  of  slate. 

The  Shakers  are  a  religious  sect,  originally  from  England.  It 
was  founded  by  Ann  Lee,  the  daughter  of  a  Manchester  black 
smith,  and  wife  of  the  blacksmith  Stanley,  of  the  same  city.  Her 
chief  doctrines  are,  community  of  goods,  a  perfect  continence 
with  regard  to  the  sexes  and  adoration  of  the  Deity  by  dancing. 
Ann  Lee  pretended  to  higher  inspiration,  performed  miracles, 
announced  the  speedy  reappearance  of  Christ  on  earth,  spoke  of 
the  millennium,  and  of  similar  glories.  She  commenced  in  Eng 
land,  by  making  proselytes  among  the  lowest  classes,  who  fol 
lowed  her  when  she  preached  in  public,  held  noisy  prayer,  or 
rather,  dancing  meetings,  and  thus  disturbed  the  public  peace. 
This  worthy  prophetess  was  therefore,  with  her  friends,at  different 
times  imprisoned;  the  impatient  and  unbelieving  public  even  be 
gan  once  to  stone  her.  The  good  soul,  whose  convulsions  were  said 
by  the  wicked  world  to  be  the  effect  of  ardent  spirits,  wandered 
therefore,  in  1774,  with  her  family,  and  several  of  her  friends,  to 
JNew  York,  where  she  settled.  But  her  husband  was  wearied 


107 

with  the  sisterly  connexion  in  which  he  lived  with  her,  and  re 
solved  to  divorce  his  sisterly  wife,  and  marry  another.  Where 
upon  the  repudiated  wife  wandered  towards  Albany,  settled  first 
at  Watervliet,  and  held  meetings.  These  meetings,  however, 
appeared  to  the  Americans  so  suspicious,  (it  was  during  the  time 
of  the  revolution,)  that  the  good  lady  was  arrested  at  Albany  with 
several  of  her  friends,  and  transported  to  the  neighbourhood  of 
New  York,  in  order  to  give  her  in  charge  to  the  English,  who 
then  held  the  city.  But  she  soon  returned  again  to  Watervliet, 
and  her  faithful  adherents  bought  land  near  Niskayuna,  between 
Albany  and  Schenectady,  and  settled  there.  A  large  part  of  this 
people,  those  particularly  who  had  joined  the  sect  in  America, 
founded  the  colony  of  New  Lebanon.  Ann  Lee  died  in  Nis 
kayuna,  in  1784.  As  this  sect  conducted  itself  very  quietly, 
and  gave  no  public  offence,  the  government  allowed  them  to  live 
in  peace.  The  colony  numbers  about  six  hundred  members,  who 
are  divided  into  families,  some  of  which  contain  above  one  hun 
dred  individuals  of  both  sexes.  Each  lives  in  a  group  of  houses 
with  an  elder  at  their  head.  The  elders  of  all  the  families  form 
a  counsel,  which  watches  for  the  public  good.  They  have  for  di 
vine  service  a  sort  of  preachers,  two  of  each  sex,  who  hold  forth 
on  Sundays.  The  greatest  cleanliness  prevails  in  the  houses, 
equalled  perhaps  only  by  the  hospital  of  Boston;  the  brethren 
live  on  one  side,  and  the  sisters  on  the  other.  They  have  a  com 
mon  eating-room,  in  which  again  each  sect  has  its  owrn  side,  but 
different  working  places.  Both  the  brethren  and  the  sisters  live, 
generally,  two  individuals  in  one  room,  and  two  also  sleep  in  the 
same  bed.  Many  of  the  sisters,  however,  notwithstanding  their 
good  food,  were  pale  and  \van. 

When  a  family  wishes  to  join  the  Shakers,  the  relation  of 
brother  and  sister,  must  immediately  take  place  between  husband 
and  wife.  The  children  are  then  brought  up  in  Shaker  principles. 
Orphans  also  find  a  home  with  them;  still,  however,  unfavourable 
reports  are  circulated  about  the  origin  of  these  orphans.  Of 
course,  if  the  principles  of  these  people  should  prevail,  which, 
howrever,  may  heaven  prevent,  the  world  would  soon  be  depo 
pulated.  In  countries,  however,  with  too  great  population,  it 
might  perhaps  be  of  service  to  receive  missionaries  of  this  sect 
and  promote  proselytism. 

Every  family  possesses  a  shop,  where  all  things  made  by  the 
family  are  laid  out  for  sale.  These  articles  generally  consist  of 
wooden  utensils,  sieves,  brushes,  harness,  table-linen,  somewhat 
coarse  silver  writing  pens,  very  good  rose  water,  £c.  Besides, 
they  sell  books,  exposing  the  doctrines  of  their  sect,  and  contain 
ing  the  life  of  their  founder,  Ann  Lee,  whom  they  call  mother 
Ann.  They  pay  also  much  attention  to  the  breeding  of  cattle, 


108 

make  good  butter,  and  particularly  good  cheese,  great  quantities 
of  which  they  sell.  Their  hogs  are  remarkably  handsome,  and 
cleanliness  is  also  extended  to  them.  It  is  a  rare  pleasure  to  walk 
about  in  a  Shaker  pig-sty!  they  have  a  large  kitchen  garden  be 
hind  the  church,  where  they  raise  vegetables,  principally  for  the 
sake  of  seed,  which  is  said  to  be  here  of  a  remarkably  good  kind. 
Medicinal  herbs,  roots,  and  berries,  which  they  cultivate  very 
carefully  in  a  separate  garden,  and  which,  as  I  heard  in  Albany, 
are  of  a  remarkably  good  quality,  form  a  principal  part  of  their 
commerce. 

The  governor's  letter  every  where  procured  me  a  good  recep 
tion,  as  they  generally  lead  strangers  about  the  settlement  with 
reluctance.  The  few  men  with  whom  I  spoke,  and  who  accom 
panied  me,  were  elderly  people,  and  had  long  ago  become  Sha 
kers  with  their  parents.  An  old  man  told  me,  that  he  had  been  one 
of  the  first  adherents  of  mother  Ann  at  her  arrival  in  America. 
They  were  very  polite  to  me,  and  appear  to  be  somewhat  monk 
ish.  They  showed  me  also  their  church,  which  they  do  not  ge 
nerally  do,  Sundays  excepted,  as  every  body  can  attend  their 
worship.  My  travelling  plan  did  not  allow  me  to  pass  a  Sunday 
with  them.  The  hall,  which  serves  as  their  church,  is  about 
eighty  feet  long,  and  above  fifty  broad.  On  one  side  stand 
benches  in  form  of  an  amphitheatre,  for  spectators  and  old  mem 
bers,  to  whom  the  dancing  has  become  difficult.  The  floor  con 
sists  of  handsome  cedar  wood,  which  is  well  polished;  the  boards 
are  attached  to  each  other  without  nails.  Service  commences,  as 
I  was  told,  with  a  speech,  which  the  congregation  hear  in  a  stand 
ing  position,  the  sexes  being  again  divided.  ^Occasionally  the 
spirit  comes  upon  one  or  the  other;  they  are  ^p  moved  by  the 
speech,  that  they  begin  to  shake,  and  to  make  strange  contortions. 
Then  begin  the  prayers,  which  are  sung,  and  during  which,  they 
dance.  Every  member  has  a  spot  about  four  feet  square  for  jump 
ing,  and  I  was  assured  this  service  was  done  with  such  a  zeal, 
that  the  vaulters  sometimes  fainted  away. 

We  delayed  too  long  with  the  Shakers  to  follow  our  plan 
of  previously  visiting  Lebanon  springs,  and  reach  Albany  the 
same  day.  We  consequently  gave  up  this  design  and  returned  to 
Albany ;  we  were  overtaken  by  the  night,  and  a  storm.  It  was 
so  dark,  that  the  driver  could  scarcely  find  the  way;  he  therefore 
took  a  lantern  against  my  advice.  This  was  extinguished,  and 
we  were  in  a  still  worse  situation.  Two  miles  from  Greenbush 
the  driver  left  the  road,  went  to  the  right  towards  a  slope,  and 
almost  threw  the  stage  entirely  over;  it  fell  on  the  right  side,  and 
my  head  and  arm  were  injured,  though  but  slightly.  On  my 
right  side  I  was  much  more  hurt,  and  one  of  my  ribs  was  actually 
broken,  as  it  was  afterwards  discovered.  Mr.  Tromp  had  his 


109 

head  and  one  of  his  hands  injured.  As  we  had  no  baggage,  and 
were  but  two  miles  from  Greenbush,  we  resolved  to  leave  the 
stage  where  it  was,  and  walked  to  Greenbush.  At  about  eleven 
o'clock  we  reached  the  river.  Not  a  soul  was  in  the  street;  the 
lights  were  all  extinguished,  and  the  ferry  boats  were  on  the 
other  side  of  the  river.  Our  shouting  was  of  no  avail;  the  pain 
in  my  side  also  prevented  me  from  calling.  In  about  half  an 
hour,  however,  the  stage  arrived,  which  the  driver  had  raised 
with  the  help  of  some  farmers;  and  he  made  such  a  terrible  noise, 
that  at  last,  after  waiting  an  hour,  the  ferry  boats  came  to  take 
us  to  Albany.  In  riding  through  the  city  the  jolting  of  the  stage 
gave  me  much  pain.  On  leaving  the  stage  at  twelve  o'clock  I 
could  scarcely  speak  or  walk  on  account  of  my  side,  which  I  had 
also  injured  two  years  previously,  on  my  passage  from  Ostend 
to  London,  and  since  that  time  it  had  constantly  retained  a  painful 
sensation. 

The  next  morning  I  awoke  with  such  dreadful  pain  in  my  right 
side,  that  I  could  scarcely  move  in  bed.  The  obliging  Sir  Michael 
Clare  gave  me  every  assistance.  He  opened  a  vein  in  my  arm, 
took  sixteen  ounces  of  blood,  gave  me  a  purgative,  and  ordered 
embrocations  to  the  side,  by  which  treatment  the  pain  had  so 
much  abated  in  the  afternoon,  that  I  could  move  with  more  ease. 
I  was,  however,  confined  the  whole  day  to  my  bed.  The  Van 
Rensselaer  family  showed  me  much  attention.  On  the  second 
day  I  could  indeed  leave  the  bed,  but  still  not  continue  my  jour 
ney.  On  the  third  day,  September  16th,  Sir  Michael  and  Lady 
Clare  left  Albany  for  Boston,  whence  they  were  going  to  New 
York.  My  pains  had  not  much  abated,  but  I  nevertheless  resolved 
to  proceed  to  New  York,  as  I  had  read  in  the  papers  that  the 
Pallas  had  arrived  there,  and  as  I  wished  to  receive  the  attend 
ance  of  Dr.  Schilett.  I  was  indeed  obliged  to  relinquish  my  de 
sign  of  seeing  Catskill  Mountains,  but  thought  of  stopping  at 
West  Point  to  visit  the  military  school. 

At  ten  o'clock  we  embarked  on  board  the  steam-boat  Rich 
mond.  The  banks  of  the  Hudson  are  very  handsome,  and  here 
and  there  well  cultivated.  From  Albany  to  New  York  it  is  one 
hundred  and  forty-four  miles,  and  to  West  Point  ninety-six. 
Hudson,  a  place  twenty-seven  and  a  half  miles  from  Albany, 
which  we  reached  at  noon,  seems  to  be  very  handsome  and 
lively.  We  remarked  in  the  harbour  several  sloops,  and  on 
shore  some  brick  stores,  five  stories  high.  On  the  opposite  side 
of  the  river  lies  Athens,  between  which  and  Hudson  there  seems 
to  be  much  communication  kept  up  by  a  team-boat.  A  very  low 
island  in  the  middle  of  the  stream  between  the  two  places  ren 
dered  this  communication  somewhat  difficult  at  first,  as  vessels 


110 

were  obliged  to  make  a  great  circuit.  To  avoid  this  inconve 
nience,  a  "canal  was  cut  through  the  island,  through  which  the 
team-boat  now  passes  with  ease  and  rapidity.  This  place  affords 
a  very  fine  view  of  the  lofty  Catskill  Mountains. 

About  eleven  o'clock  at  night  we  arrived  at  West  Point,  on 
the  right  side  of  the  Hudson,  and  landed  at  a  wharf  furnished 
with  a  sentry-box.  An  artillerist,  who  stood  sentinel,  examined 
us.  I  afterwards  discovered  that  this  rule  was  made  on  account 
of  the  visits  which  the  cadets  receive.  We  were  obliged  to  ascend 
a  somewhat  steep  road  in  order  to  reach  the  house,  which  is  pre 
pared  for  the  reception  of  strangers.  A  small  but  very  clean  room 
was  prepared  for  us.  The  building  belongs  to  the  government, 
and  is  designed  for  the  mess-room  of  the  officers  and  cadets.  The 
purveyor  for  this  table  is  bound  by  contract  with  government  to 
keep  several  chambers  with  beds  in  order,  for  the  reception  of 
the  relations  of  the  cadets,  and  thus  a  kind  of  inn  arose. 

The  morning  after  our  arrival  we  paid  an  early  visit  to  lieute 
nant-colonel  Thayer,  superintendent  of  the  military  school,  and 
were  received  in  a  very  friendly  manner.  He  has  presided  over 
this  school  eight  years.  It  was  founded  in  1802,  during  the  pre 
sidency  of  Jefferson.  Colonel  Thayer  has  entirely  remodelled 
this  institution.  During  his  travels  in  Europe  he  visited  the 
French  military  schools,  and  has  endeavoured  to  make  this  re 
semble  the  polytechnic  school.  But  he  will  find  it  difficult  to 
equal  this  once  celebrated  school,  as  with  the  best  will  in  the 
world  he  cannot  find  in  this  country  such  excellent  professors  as 
were  assembled  in  that  institution.  The  cadets,  whose  number 
may  amount  to  two  hundred  and  fifty,  but  at  the  last  examination 
consisted  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-one,  are  divided  into  four 
classes  for  the  purposes  of  instruction.  They  are  received  between 
the  ages  of  fourteen  and  twenty,  undergo  an  examination  before 
they  enter,  and  must  then  pass  a  probationary  term  of  half  a  year, 
during  which  time  the  mathematics  are  chiefly  studied.  After 
six  months  the  young  men  are  examined  on  the  instruction  which 
they  have  received,  and  those  only  who  pass  this  ordeal  continue 
in  the  school ;  the  others  are  dismissed. 

Instruction  is  communicated  gratuitously  to  the  cadets,  each  of 
whom  receives  monthly  eight  dollars  from  government  as  wages. 
A  public  examination  of  the  cadets  takes  place  every  year  at  the 
end  of  June,  by  a  commission,  appointed  by  the  secretary  of  war. 
This  commission  consists  of  staff-officers  from  the  army  and  navy, 
members  of  congress,  governors  of  states,  learned  men,  and  other 
distinguished  citizens.  After  this  examination,  the  best  among 
those  who  have  finished  their  course  are  appointed  as  officers  in 
the  army;  the  very  best  may  choose  the  corps  in  which  they  wish 


Ill 

to  serve.  The  others  receive  stations,  according;  to  their  capacity, 
in  the  following  order:  engineers,  artillerists,  infantry,  marines. 
Should  even  these  corps  have  the  necessary  numhcr  of  officers, 
these  young  men  as  supernumeraries,  receive  full  pay.  At  the 
examinations  also,  the  cadets  advance  from  one  class  to  another. 
The  names  of  the  five  best  in  each  class  are  made  known  in  the 
newspapers,  and  also  printed  in  the  army  list,  which  appears  every 
year.  This  is  certainly  an  encouraging  arrangement,  and  worthy 
of  imitation. 

The  discipline  of  the  cadets  is  very  rigid ;  they  leave  the  school 
only  as  officers,  on  which  account  their  noviciate  in  the  corps  of 
cadets  serves  as  a  practical  school  of  passive  obedience.  The 
punishments  consist  of  arrest,  which,  however,  does  not  inter 
rupt  the  course  of  instruction;  but  when  a  case  occurs  that  a  cadet 
is  to  be  punished  a  second  time  for  the  same  fault,  he  is  dismissed. 
The  same  takes  place  when  after  two  public  examinations  he  has 
not  learned  enough  to  advance  into  a  higher  class. 

The  day  is  thus  divided  in  this  school: — 

From  day-break  till  sunrise. — Reveille  at  day-break — roll- 
call  after  reveille — cleaning  of  rooms,  arms  and  dress — half  an 
hour  after  roll-call,  inspection  of  the  rooms. 

From  sunrise  till  seven  o'clock. — First  class,  military  engi 
neering. — Second,  natural  and  experimental  philosophy. — Third 
and  fourth,  mathematics. 

From  seven  till  eight  o'clock. — Breakfast  at  seven  o'clock. — 
Parade  at  half  past  seven. — Class  parade  at  eight  o'clock. 

From  eight  till  eleven  o'clock. — First  class,  recitations  and 
engineer  and  military  drawing. — Second,  natural  and  experi 
mental  philosophy. — Third  and  fourth,  mathematical  recitations. 

From  eleven  till  twelve  o'clock. — First  class,  lectures  on  en 
gineer  and  military  sciences. — Second,  lectures  on  natural  and 
experimental  philosophy. — Third  and  fourth,  mathematical  stu 
dies. 

From  twelve,  till  one  o'clock. — First  class,  Monday,  Wed 
nesday,  and  Friday,  lectures  on  chemistry  applied  to  mechanics 
and  the  arts,  or  mineralogy  and  geology — Tuesday,  Thursday, 
and  Saturday,  studies  on  the  same  subjects. — Second,  Tues 
day,  Thursday,  and  Saturday,  lectures  on  chemistry — Mon 
day,  Wednesday,  and  Friday,  studies  on  the  same  subject  > — 
Third,  French  recitations. — Fourth,  French  studies  and  reci 
tations. 

From  one  till  two  o'clock. — Dinner  very  plain  and  frugal  at 
one  o'clock — recreation  after  dinner  till  two  o'clock. 

From  two  till  four  o'clock. — First  class,  studies  and  recita 
tions  in  geography,  history,  belles  lettres  and  national  laws. — 


112 


Second,  landscape  and  topographical  drawing.— Third,  Monday. 
Wednesday,  and  Friday,  drawing  of  the  human  figure— Tues 
day  and  Thursday,  studies  of  the  French  language.— Fourth, 
French  studies  and  recitations. 

From  four  o'clock  till  sunset. — Military  exercises — inspec 
tion  of  the  dress  and  roll-call  at  sunset. 

From  sunset  till  half  an  hour  later. — Supper  immediately 
after  parade — signal  to  go  to  the  rooms  immediately  after  the 
supper. 

Half  an  hour  after  sunset  till  half  past  nine. — First  class, 
studies  on  engineer  and  military  sciences. — Second,  studies  on 
natural  and  experimental  philosophy. — Third  and  fourth,  mathe 
matical  studies. 

From  half  past  nine  till  ten  o'clock. — Retreat  beat  at  half 
past  nine — roll-call  immediately  after — signal  to  extinguish  the 
lights  and  inspection  of  the  rooms  at  ten  o'clock. 

TABLE 

Of  the  Sciences  taught  and  the  Books  used  at  West  Point. 


SCIENCES. 

PARTICULAR    SUB 
JECTS. 

TEXT  BOOKS. 

*J 

1 

o 

v" 
? 

0 

o 

1 
n 

s, 

0s 

2. 

o 
p 
•~t 

Engineering, 
INSTRUCTORS. 
Capt.  Douglass. 
Lieut.  Mordecai. 

Artillery  tactics. 
Field    and  permanent 
fortifications. 
Civil  and  military  archi 
tecture  and  construc 
tions. 

Treatise  on  the  Sciences  of 
War  and  Fortification,  by 
Guy  de  Vernon. 
Traite  des  Machines,  par 
Hachette. 
Programme  d'un  Cours  de 
Construction,  par  Sgan- 
zin. 

Historr/  and  Idles- 
'lettres. 
Re  v.Mr.  M'llvaine, 
Chaplain. 

Geography. 
History. 
Moral  philosophy. 
Laws  of  nations. 

Morse's  Geography. 
Tytler's  Elements  of  Ge 
neral  History. 
Palcy's  Principles  of  Moral 
and  Political  Philosophy. 
Vattel's  Law  of  Nations. 

Chemistry  and  Mi 
neralogy. 
Dr.  Torrey. 
Lieut.  Prescott. 

Application  of  chemis 
try  to  the  arts. 

Cleveland's  Treatise  on  Mi 
neralogy  and  Chemistry. 

Tactics. 
Major  Worth. 
Capt.  Hitchcock. 
Lieut.  C.  Smith. 
Lieut.         Kinley, 
teacher  of   the 
Artillery. 

Platoon  battalion  
school  and  line-evo 
lutions. 
Exercises  and  manoeu 
vres  of  artillery. 

Rules  and  Regulations  for 
the    Field-exercise    and 
Manoeuvres  of  Infantry. 
Lallemand's    Treatise     on 
Artillery. 

113 


SCIENCES. 

PARTICULAR  SUB 
JECTS. 

TEXT-BOOKS. 

K 

o^ 

O 

| 

0 
•"*» 

a 

V- 

Q 

5 

Natural  and  Ex 
perimental  Phi 
losophy. 
Prof.  Mansfield. 
Lieut.  S.  Smith. 
Lieut.  Parrot. 

Statistic,  dynamic,  hy 
drostatic,     hydrody- 
namic,  pneumatic. 
Magnetism,  electricity, 
optics,  astronomy. 

Gregory's  Treatise  of  Me 
chanics.   Newton's  Prin- 
cipia. 
Enfield's  Institutes  of  Na 
tural  Philosophy. 

Chemistry. 

Chemical  philosophy. 

Henry's  Chemistry. 

Drawing. 
Capt.  Douglass. 
DRAWIXO  MASTER. 
Gimbrede. 

Landscape. 
Topographical  drawing 

03 

p- 

£L 

O 

0 
0 

*n 

60 
O- 
•^ 

rt> 
j» 

Mathematics. 
Prof.  Davies. 
Lieut.  Ross. 
Lieut.  Webster. 
Lieut.  Greene. 
Lieut.  Mahan. 

Differential    and   inte 
gral  calculus. 
Analytic  geometry. 
Perspective  shades. 
Descriptive    geometry 
and  conic  sections. 

Traite  du  Calcul  Differen 
tial  et  Integral,  par  La- 
croix. 
Essai  de  Geometric  Analy- 
tique      Appliquee     aux 
Courbes  et  aux  Surfaces 
du  second  ordre,  par  Biot. 
Crozet's  Treatise  on  Per 
spective,    Shades,     and 
Shadows. 
Crozet's  Treatise  on   De 
scriptive  Geometry  and 
Conic  Sections. 

French  Language. 
TEACHERS. 
Berard    and   Du- 
commun. 

Translation  from  French 
into  English. 

Histoire  de  Gil  Bias,  les  3 
derniers  tomes. 
Histoire    de   Charles  XII. 
par  Voltaire. 

Drawing. 
DRAWING  MASTER. 
Gimbrede. 

Human  figure. 

£ 

O^ 

P" 

CA) 

0 
o 

1 

o 

*"*S 

in 

5 

fc> 
£1 

Mathematics. 

Surveying  and  measur 
ing. 
Trigonometry. 
Geometry. 
Algebra. 

Treatise    on     Plane    and 
Spherical  Trigonometry, 
and  on  the  Application 
of  Algebra  to  Geometry, 
translated       from       the 
French   of  Lacroix  and 
Bezout,     by     Professor 
Farrar. 
Legendre's         Geometry. 
Complement    des    Ele- 
mens  d'  Algebra,  par  La 
croix.       Lacroix's    Ele 
ments  of  Algebra. 

French  Language. 

Translation  from  French 
into  English. 

Histoire  de  Gil  Bias,  tome  I. 
Gerard's  Lecteur  Franoais. 
Berard's  French  Grammar. 

VOL.  I. 


15 


114 

I  was  surprised  to  learn  that  the  young  men  clean  their  rooms 
and  clothes  themselves,  as  well  .as  make  their  own  beds:  only  the 
cleaning  of  shoes  and  boots,  and  carrying  of  wood  may  be  done 
by  servants.  But  Colonel  Thayer  thinks,  that  if  too  many  servants 
were  in  the  school,  the  cadets  would  have  too  great  an  opportu 
nity  of  remaining  in  connexion  with  the  world,  without  the 
knowledge  of  the  officers.  The  cadets  are  divided  in  four  com 
panies,  and  live  in  two  large  massive  buildings,  three  stories  high. 
In  the  older  of  the  two  buildings,  two  occupy  one  room;  in  the 
other,  three  are  placed  in  one  room.  They  sleep  on  mattresses, 
which  are  spread  out  on  the  floor  in  the  evening,  and  have 
always  two  chambers,  one  for  sleeping  and  the  other  for  study. 
— This  opens  upon  a  long  corridor.  The  cadets  keep  their 
arms  also  in  their  rooms.  Their  uniform  consists  of  a  grey 
jacket,  with  three  rows  of  yellow  buttons,  bound  with  black  cords; 
in  winter,  grey,  in  summer,  white  pantaloons;  white  leather  equip 
ments,  as  worn  by  the  army,  and,  for  fatigue  service,  leather  caps. 
The  officers  wear  the  uniform  of  the  artillery  corps,  to  which 
they  belong.  Notwithstanding  the  extraordinarily  fine  situation 
of  the  school,  the  cadets  have  not  a  healthy  appearance,  perhaps 
because  they  have  too  little  recreation. 

After  having  seen  the  rich  private  library  of  Colonel  Thayer, 
he  took  us  to  the  school.  We  met  with  a  class  which  was  en 
gaged  in  descriptive  geometry.  Several  cadets,  who  stood  at  the 
board,  demonstrated  some  problems  of  this  science  very  correctly, 
and  answered  with  great  ease  and  accuracy  some  questions  and 
objections,  which  Professor  Davies  made  to  them.  We  then  at 
tended  a  physical  lecture  of  Lieutenant  Prescott,  which,  however, 
appeared  to  be  elementary ;  he  explained  the  principles  of  the  doc 
trine  of  heat,  and  then  related  the  theory  and  history  of  the 
thermometer. 

The  institution  possesses  a  fine  library  and  a  collection  of  maps, 
which  receives  constant  additions.  We  found  several  of  the 
newest  German  maps.  Colonel  Thayer  is  a  man  who  labours 
under  a  disease  with  which  they  say  I  am  also  afflicted,  namely, 
the  bibliomania;  on  that  account  I  continued  a  long  time  in  this 
library.  I  remarked  here,  also,  a  full-length  portrait  of  the  for 
mer  president,  Jefferson,  by  Sully,  of  Philadelphia,  and  another 
of  the  engineer,  General  Williams,  founder  of  the  school. 

The  institution  possesses  four  principal  buildings.  The  two 
largest  serve  as  barracks  for  the  cadets,  a  third  contains  the  mess- 
room  and  inn,  and  the  fourth  the  church,  chemical  laboratory, 
library,  and  the  hall  for  drawing,  in  which  are  some  of  the  best 
drawings  of  the  cadets.  As  a  model  of  topographical  drawing, 
they  had  taken  the  Montjoui  of  Gironna,  designed  according  to 
the  Atlas  of  Marshal  G.  St.  Cyr.  They  have  adopted  the  French 


115 

manner  of  drawing  plans;  I  saw,  however,  in  the  library,  Leh- 
mann's  work  translated  into  English.  A  very  fine  marble  bust 
of  the  Emperor  Napoleon  stands  in  the  drawing-hall. 

A  large  level  space,  consisting  of  several  acres,  lies  in  front  of  the 
buildings,  forming  a  peninsula  and  commanding  the  navigation  of 
the  Hudson,  above  which  it  is  elevated  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
eight  feet.  Towards  the  river  it  is  surrounded  with  steep  rocks, 
so  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  ascend,  unless  by  the  usual  way. 
At  its  junction  with  the  main  land,  it  is  commanded  by  a  moun 
tain,  whose  summit  is  five  hundred  and  ninety-six  feet  above  the 
level  of  the  river.  This  position  called  to  my  mind  the  plain  be 
low  Lilienstein,  in  Saxony,  opposite  to  Koenigstein.  On  the  sum 
mit  of  this  mountain  lie  the  ruins  of  Fort  Putnam,  so  that  the 
plain  on  which  the  buildings  of  the  academy  stand,  is  entirely  in 
sulated,  and  may  be  very  well  defended  as  well  in  the  direction 
of  the  river  as  of  the  main  land.  During  the  revolution  this  fort 
was  erected,  like  Fort  Clinton,  and  was  impregnable.  To  seize 
it,  the  English  had  recourse  to  bribery,  and  General  Arnold,  who 
commanded  West  Point,  was  on  the  point  of  delivering  this  po 
sition  to  them.  This  disgraceful  treachery  was  fortunately  pre 
vented  by  the  seizure  of  Major  Andr6.  The  tragical  end  of  the 
major,  and  the  flight  of  Arnold  on  board  the  English  corvette 
Vulture,  which  lay  at  Verplank's  Point  ready  to  receive  him,  are 
well  known. 

The  above-mentioned  Fort  Clinton  stood  on  the  eastern  point 
of  the  level,  and  was  considered  as  a  redoubt.  It  consisted 
of  a  crown-work  of  three  bastions,  and  the  redoubt  which  the 
two  wings  of  the  crown-work  adjoined.  The  redoubt  stands 
on  the  extreme  point  of  the  rock,  and  the  remains  of  the  battery 
can  still  be  seen  in  it,  which  completely  commanded  the  river, 
both  above  and  below  West  Point.  The  fort  is  now  in  a  state  of 
dilapidation,  and  the  foundations  of  the  buildings  alone,  are  to 
be  seen.  During  the  revolution,  chains  were  extended  here  across 
the  river.  On  the  left  side,  in  an  oblique  direction  towards  West 
Point,  is  another  rock,  not  so  high,  and  similar  to  a  peninsula, 
washed  by  the  Hudson  on  three  sides  and  separated  from  the  main 
land  by  a  morass.  Two  redoubts  stood  on  this  rock,  in  order  to 
have  complete  control  over  the  river. 

Besides  the  above-mentioned  buildings,  several  houses  and  gar 
dens  are  situated  on  the  plain  of  West  Point,  occupied  by  the 
officers  and  professors.  Large  wooden  barracks  also  stand  here, 
inhabited  by  a  company  of  artillerists,  and  some  soldiers  con 
demned  to  confinement  in  irons,  who  are  employed  to  blast  the 
rocks.  These  culprits  have  a  long  chain  attached  to  one  foot,  and 
the  other  end  of  the  chain  is  fastened  to  a  twenty-four  pound 
ball,  which  they  must  either  drag  or  carry.  Three  iron  six 


116 

pounders  stand  in  front  of  the  barracks.  The  Americans  use  iron 
cannon,  like  the  Swedes,  and  are  very  well  satisfied  with  them. 
At  another  place  on  the  same  plain,  we  saw  five  six  pounders, 
with  which  the  cadets  exercise.  Three  are  French  pieces,  pre 
sented  to  the  Americans  by  Louis  XVI.  decorated  with  the  French 
arms;  and  the  motto,  ultima  ratio  regum.  The  two  other  pieces 
are  English,  were  taken  during  the  revolution,  and  as  an  inscrip 
tion  says,  were  given  by  congress  to  General  Greene  as  a  reward 
for  his  conduct  in  the  south  of  the  United  States  during  the  war. 
His  heirs  have  not  yet  reclaimed  them,  and  they  consequently 
remain  here.  A  pyramid  of  white  marble  not  far  from  these 
pieces  was,  according  to  the  inscription,  erected  by  General 
Brown,  to  the  memory  of  Lieutenant-Colonel  Wood,  a  pupil  of 
this  school,  who  fell  in  1814,  at  a  sally  of  Fort  Erie. 

In  the  evening  we  saw  the  cadets  exercise;  they  form  a  small 
battalion  of  four  divisions,  and  are  commanded  by  their  officers, 
and  the  eldest  cadets  of  the  first  class,  who  wear  officer's 
scarfs,  and  swords.  The  young  men  perform  their  exercises  un 
commonly  well,  and  I  was  gratified  at  the  good  order  which  pre 
vailed.  A  band  of  music,  paid  by  the  government,  belongs  ex 
clusively  to  them,  and  is  said  to  afford  the  best  military  music  in 
the  United  States.  Every  one  has  his  taste,  but  I  must  confess 
that  even  the  celebrated  music  of  the  English  guards,  and  the 
American  music,  are  far  behind  that  of  the  French,  Netherlanders, 
and  Germans. 

In  company  with  Colonel  Thayer,  we  crossed  the  Hudson  to 
visit  an  iron  foundry  which  belongs  to  a  society,  whose  director 
is  Mr.  Campbell,  a  friend  of  Colonel  Thayer.  Two  high  furnaces 
are  in  constant  employment,  as  the  foundry  furnishes  all  the  iron 
arms  which  government  requires.  One  piece  had  just  been  cast, 
and  we  saw  several  other  pieces  cast  from  a  new  high  furnace. 
Next  to  the  foundry  is  a  building  for  boring  the  guns,  in  which 
ten  pieces  may  be  bored  at  once;  for  this  purpose  they  lie  in  a 
horizontal  position,  the  machinery  being  turned  by  a  large  wheel. 
As,  however,  in  hot  and  very  dry  summers,  or  in  very  cold  win 
ters,  the  water  now  and  then  fails,  they  contemplate  substituting 
a  steam-engine  in  place  of  water-power. 

Notwithstanding  my  injured  side,  I  ascended  the  rocky  moun 
tain  on  which  the  ruins  of  Fort  Putnam  lie.  My  way  led  through 
a  handsome  forest  of  oak,  beech,  chesnut,  and  walnut  trees.  The 
tort  occupied  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  was  erected  in  an  in 
dented  form,  of  strong  granite,  and  is  altogether  inaccessible  on 
the  side  next  the  enemy.  It  had  but  a  single  entrance,  with  very 
strong  casemates,  and  two  small  powder-magazines.  It  was  built 
during  the  revolution  on  private  property;  the  owner  of  the 
ground  claimed  it,  and  government  were  obliged  to  restore  it  to 


117 

him,  after  which  he  destroyed  the  fort.  The  government  after* 
wards  acquired  the  ground  on  which  West  Point  stands,  as  well 
as  the  adjoining  heights.  It  appeared  to  me,  if  not  necessary, 
still  to  be  useful  to  build  Fort  Putnam  again,  in  order  to  complete 
the  important  position  of  West  Point,  which  can  serve  in  time  of 
war  as  a  fortified  camp,  or  place  of  refuge  for  the  people,  &c.  as 
impregnable  as  it  was  before.  But  to  my  astonishment,  I  learn 
ed  that  this  would  probably  not  take  place,  that  on  the  contrary, 
with  regard  to  the  defence  of  the  country,  reliance  was  placed  on 
the  fortified  entrance  of  New  York,  and  that  in  general  in  the  in 
terior  of  the  country  no  fortifications  would  probably  be  made. 
They  appear  to  think  that  the  impregnability  of  the  country 
particularly  consists  in  having  no  powerful  neighbours;  that  Eng 
land  could  not  send  over  a  strong  army,  and  that  even  if  this 
should  happen,  England  would  be  obliged  to  scatter  her  strength 
too  much,  so  that  single  corps  could  be  subdued  with  ease. 
This. view  appears  to  me  doubtful;  I  wish  from  my  heart  that 
these  excellent  people  may  never  find  by  experience,  that  they 
have  deceived  themselves.  But  security,  when  too  great,  is  always 
dangerous.  A  very  fine  view  is  enjoyed  from  Fort  Putnam  of 
the  plain  of  West  Point,  and  of  the  Hudson,  which  here  calls  to 
mind  the  high  banks  of  the  Rhine.  The  view  to  the  north  is  par 
ticularly  handsome,  in  which  direction  Newburgh,  lying  on  the 
river,  is  seen  in  the  back  ground.  We  saw  nothing  of  the  Cats- 
kill  mountains. 

We  went  with  Colonel  Thayer  and  the  cadets  to  church.  The 
chaplain  of  the  academy,  Dr.  M'llvaine,  an  Episcopalian  clergy 
man,  performed  divine  service.  The  sermon  was  very  good  and 
sensible,  and  very  well  adapted  to  the  young  men.  He  proposed 
several  objections  which  are  made  against  the  superiority  of  the 
Christian  religion,  and  refuted  them  all,  by  deriving  his  arguments 
from  the  new  testament  and  human  reason.  I  was  much  pleased 
with  the  deportment  of  the  cadets  in  the  church,  a  deportment 
which  is  not  always  observed  in  young  people  in  other  countries 
at  such  times. 

The  topographical  drawings  which  the  cadets  make,  and  ac 
cording  to  which  they  are  instructed  in  fortification,  were  shown 
to  me  by  the  excellent  Captain  Douglass,  teacher  of  engineering. 
The  so  called  modern  system,  or  the  Carnmontaigne  system,  im 
proved  by  the  French  engineers,  forms  the  basis  of  the  instruc 
tion.  Captain  Douglass,  who  also  instructs  them  in  the  forma 
tion  of  roads  and  bridges,  makes  use  of  Wiebeking.  Many  of 
the  cadets  who  do  not  intend  to  remain  in  the  military  serVice 
as  officers,  being  bound  to  remain  but  one  year  in  service, 
after  leaving  the  academy,  serve  each  in  his  own  state,  as  civil 
engineers,  and  perform  very  essential  services.  All  officers  of 


118 

the  army  and  navy  are  now  supplied  by  cadets  from  the  academy; 
for  there  are  no  cadets  in  the  regiments,  and  in  time  of  peace  no 
subaltern  officers  are  promoted. 

I  was  very  sorry  that  we  were  obliged  on  the  third  day  after  our 
arrival  to  leave  this  agreeable  place,  which  had  so  extremely 
pleased  me;  but  I  was  obliged  to  go  to  New  York  at  last!  Our 
West  Point  friends  accompanied  us  to  the  steam-boat,  and  here 
we  took  an  affectionate  farewell.  A  Captain  Randolph,  of  Vir 
ginia,  with  whom  I  had  become  acquainted  at  West  Point,  with 
his  wife,  went  also  to  New  York,  so  that  I  was  agreeably  enter 
tained  on  board;  the  boat  was  so  filled  with  people,  we  scarcely 
found  room  at  the  dinner-table.  The  shores  continue  to  be  hand 
some.  We  passed  several  handsome  places  and  country-seats, 
which  denoted  that  we  were  on  the  road  to  a  large  and  flourish 
ing  city.  At  a  turn  of  the  river  the  shores  approximate,  and 
here  stands  a  handsome  country-seat  with  a  garden,  called 
Verplank's  Point;  opposite  is  a  fort,  Stony  Point,  the  pos 
session  of  which  was  disputed  during  the  revolution  by  se 
veral  bloody  fights.  The  situation  of  Singsing,  where  there 
is  a  house  of  correction,  is  very  handsome.  We  saw  the  offen 
ders  engaged  in  blasting  rocks.  The  stream  now  becomes  broad, 
and  forms  two  successive  bays,  the  former  Haverstraw  Bay, 
and  the  other  Tappan  Sea.  On  the  right  shore  of  the  latter  is 
the  town  of  Tappan,  where,  condemned  by  the  court-marshal 
as  a  spy,  Major  Andr6  was  hung  and  buried.  The  English 
government  ordered  him  to  be  dug  up  some  years  ago,  and 
his  remains  to  be  transported  to  England,  if  I  am  not  mistaken, 
to  be  laid  in  Westminster  Abbey,  whilst  the  remains  of  General 
Fraser,  who  fell  like  a  hero  in  open  battle,  at  the  head  of  the 
royal  troops,  still  lies  without  the  slightest  memorial  in  the  old 
redoubt  of  Stillwater!  The  tree  which  grew  on  Andre's  grave 
was  also  taken  to  England,  and  as  I  was  assured,  transplanted  to 
the  Royal  Garden,  behind  Carlton  Palace!! 

Below  Tappan  Sea,  the  shores  again  approximate,  and  the  right 
side  becomes  very  steep,  resembling  the  rocks  near  Pirna,  on  the 
Elbe,  and  are  called  the  palisades.  After  sundown  we  came 
into  the  vicinity  of  New  York,  the  largest  city  in  the  United 
States,  which  attracts  nearly  the  whole  commerce  of  the  country, 
and  now  already  numbers  one  hundred  and  seventy  thousand  in 
habitants.  We  landed  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  and 
on  account  of  the  incredible  number  of  strangers  could  not  obtain 
lodgings  at  five  different  taverns.  At  last  we  were  very  glad, 
iftef  much  fatigue  from  running  about,  to  find  a  miserable  bed 
chamber  in  a  common  and  ordinary  tavern,  the  Theatre  Hotel, 
handsomely  situated  near  the  park  and  theatre. 


119 


CHAPTER  X. 

Stay  at  Neio  York. 

ON  the  ensuing  morning,  we  removed  for  the  present  to  a 
French  boarding-house,  No.  76,  Broad  street;  and  I  took  a  first 
walk  through  the  city,  in  order  to  acquire  some  general  knowledge 
of  it.  The  city  is  partly  built  in  a  regular  style;  the  streets  are 
badly  paved,  but  the  side-walks  are  good,  and  there  are  not  so 
many  hogs  running  at  large  as  in  Albany.  I  was  particu 
larly  pleased  with  Broadway,  the  principal  street.  This  is  three 
miles  long,  very  wide,  has  elegant  stores,  and  very  pleasant  side 
walks.  The  Park  is  likewise  very  handsome,  as  well  as  the  City 
Hall,  which  is  situated  in  its  centre,  and  is  called  one  of  the  hand 
somest  buildings  in  the  United  States.  However,  I  was  not  ex 
ceedingly  pleased  with  it,  finding  neither  there,  nor  in  the 
churches  of  this  city,  a  remarkably  fine  style  of  building.  There 
is  a  great  number  of  churches,  and  most  of  them  have  church 
yards  attached;  but  for  some  years  past  they  have  interred  their 
dead  in  cemetries,  which  are  situated  out  of  town.  At  a  church 
near  the  Park,  I  observed  a  monument  in  memory  of  General 
Montgomery,  who  died  in  attacking  the  city  of  Quebec;  this  mo 
nument  is  not  very  tasteful.  * 

Back  of  the  City  Hall  is  a  large  building,  called  American  Mu-  - 
seum.  It  contains  a  number  of  curiosities  from  the  animal  and 
mineral  kingdoms,  put  up  in  very  good  order  in  two  large  halls. 
A  considerable  collection  of  American  birds  occupies  nearly  the 
entire  walls  of  one  hall ;  there  are  numbers  of  quadrupeds,  though 
less  perfect;  an  interesting  collection  of  fishes  very  well  preserved, 
and  a  fine  series  of  turtles,  from  a  gigantic  species,!  seven  feet  six 
inches  long,  down  to  the  smallest;  there  was  likewise  a  consi 
derable  series  of  crustaceous  animals;  a  small  collection  of  mine 
rals,  and  these  without  arrangement.  Besides,  there  were  various 
Indian  weapons,  dresses,  and  other  curiosities;  ancient  and  mo 
dern  arms  of  different  nations,  &c.  a  helmet  of  the  first  regiment 
of  the  Duke  of  Naussau,  found  on  the  field  of  Waterloo;  several 
Italian  antiquities,  the  most  of  them  small  lamps  and  other  trifles. 
There  is  a  large  and  exceedingly  beautiful  specimen  of  rock  crys- 

*  [It  was  designed  and  executed  in  Paris.] — TRANS. 

|  Umproved  by  having  a  number  of  Shark's  teeth  placed  in  its  mouth  and 
throat.] — TRANS. 


120 

tal,  weighing  two  hundred  and  twelve  pounds,  found  in  a  Mexi 
can  silver  mine.  An  Indian  mummy  is  likewise  very  interesting; 
this  was  found  in  the  year  1814,  near  Glasgow,  state  of  Ken 
tucky,  nine  feet  under  ground,  in  a  nitre  cavern,  two  thousand 
yards  distant  from  the  entrance;  it  is  in  a  sitting  posture,  and 
was  enveloped  with  deer-skins  and  Indian  cloth.  v  In  addition  to 
various  miscellaneous  articles,  there  was  a  number  of  miserable 
wax  figures  and  paintings. 

The  battery,  to  which  I  walked,  is  at  the  southern  extremity  of 
the  city  and  island  of  New  York:  there  was  formerly  a  Dutch  fort 
here,  but  it  has  been  pulled  down,  and  the  place  altered  into  a  pub 
lic  garden,  which  gives  a  fine  perspective  of  the  entrance  of  the  bay, 
and  of  Long  Island.  West  of  the  battery,  in  the  Hudson  river,  is  a 
fort,  called  Castle  Clinton,  communicating  with  the  battery  by 
a  wooden  bridge,  ninety  paces  long.  This  fort  forms  a  semicircle ; 
on  the  diameter  are  the  former  barracks,  and  behind  the  walls, 
which  form  the  semicircle,  a  battery  of  twenty-four  guns,  under 
casemates.  North  of  this  fort,  on  the  same  shore,  in  front  of 
the  city,  are  two  other  forts  of  the  same  description,  called  North 
Battery  and  Fort  Gansevoort;  being  of  no  use  they  are  aban 
doned.  Castle  Clinton  is  now  a  public  pleasure  house.  In  the 
barrack  is  a  coffee-house;  boxes  for  parties  are  arranged  within 
the  battery,  and  on  the  platform  are  amphitheatrical  seats,  because 
the  yard  of  the  fort  is  used  for  fire-works,  and  other  exhibitions. 
From  the  battery  I  walked  to  Brooklyn  ferry,  and  was  delighted 
with  the  large  number  of  vessels,  and  the  great  life  and  bustle. 
Brooklyn  is  situated  on  Long  Island,  opposite  to  New  York. 
The  straight,  called  East  river,  at  Brooklyn,  requires  about  seven 
minutes  and  a  half  to  cross  it;  there  are  two  steam-boats  and  two 
team-boats  continually  crossing.  Brooklyn  appears  to  be  a  flou 
rishing  little  town,  judging  by  the  quantity  of  stores  which  are 
established  there.  I  passed  to  the  left,  and  after  having  walked 
upwards  of  a  mile,  spent  some  hours  at  the  navy -yard,  and  re 
turned  to  the  city  exceedingly  fatigued,  on  account  of  the  great. 
distance. 

I  went  on  board  of  the  Pallas  with  Mr.  Hone,  president  of  the 
Canal  Bank  of  this  city,  a  rich  and  respectable  man,  and  with 
Mr.  Derviter,  a  merchant  of  this  city,  and  a  native  of  Grammont, 
in  Flanders.  The  Pallas  rode  at  anchor  in  the  Hudson,  between 
New  York  and  Jersey  City,  a  little  village  in  the  state  of  New 
Jersey,  opposite  New  York,  on  the  right  side  of  the  river.  Soon 
after  our  arrival,  boats  likewise  arrived  with  some  ladies, 
who  had  wished  to  see  the  Pallas.  As  the  cabin  was  but  small 
and  narrow,  the  ladies  were  served,  by  Captain  Ryk,  with  an 
elegant  luncheon  on  deck,  under  an  awning;  they  were  some  of 
the  most  amiable  and  fashionable  ladies  of  the  city,  and  remained 


121 

on  board  till  three  o'clock,  and  then  went  on  shore  during  a 
pretty  heavy  storm. 

On  returning  home  at  night,  I  observed  that  the  streets  were 
not  well  lighted.  I  was  afterwards  informed,  that  the  corpora 
tion  of  the  city  was  just  engaged  in  a  quarrel  with  the  gas-com 
pany  relative  to  the  lamps;  this  quarrel  protracted  the  inconve 
nience,  though  it  was  somewhat  lessened  by  the  numerous  stores, 
which  are  kept  open  till  a  late  hour,'  and  are  very  splendidly 
lighted  with  gas.  The  gas-lights  burn  in  handsome  figures;  at  a 
music  store,  I  saw  one  in  form  of  a  harp. 

An  eminent  physician  of  this  city,  Dr.  David  Hosack,  who, 
since  his  second  marriage,  is  said  to  have  an  annual  income  of 
twenty  thousand  dollars,  receives  every  Saturday  night,  during 
the  winter  season,  the  professional  gentlemen  of  the  city,  and 
distinguished  foreigners.  His  library,  and  collection  of  engrav 
ings,  is  then  opened  'for  the  use  of  the  visitors,  and  a  discourse  is 
sometimes  delivered.  This  learned  and  obliging  gentleman,  of 
fered  himself  to  me  as  a  guide  through  the  city;  I  accepted  his 
politeness,  and  visited  several  interesting  institutions  in  his  com 
pany. 

The  City  Hospital  was  built  in  the  year  1770,  by  voluntary 
contributions,  and  is  supported  by  the  interest  of  its  capital,  and 
by  the  state  government.  The  building  is  of  blue  stone,  and  stands 
on  high  ground,  in  a  very  healthy  situation.  An  avenue  of  old 
and  high  elm  trees  leads  to  it.  In  the  first  story  is  a  large  room, 
where  the  board  meet;  this  contains  the  library,  which  is  parti 
cularly  rich  in  botanical  works.  In  the  basement  is  the  kitchen, 
and  several  wards  for  syphilitic  patients.  They  intended  to  es 
tablish  a  new  hospital  for  these  patients,  like  the  lunatic  asylum, 
formerly  in  one  of  the  wings  of  this  hospital,  which  is  now  es 
tablished  out  of  town.  There  may  be  accommodated  in  this  hos 
pital  altogether  four  hundred  patients  of  both  sexes.  They  are 
attended  to  by  nurses  in  large  wards,  each  of  them  containing 
about  sixteen  beds.  The  bedsteads  are  of  wood;  upon  inquiring 
why  they  were  not  of  iron,  they  replied,  they  were  afraid  to  use 
them,  on  account  of  the  heavy  thunder-storms  which  frequently 
occur.  Six  physicians  and  four  surgeons  are  attached  to  the  hos 
pital,  and  alternately  attend.  One  physician  and  one  surgeon 
live  free  of  expense  in  the  hospital,  and  one  of  them  must  always 
be  present  for  extraordinary  cases.  The  apothecary's  shop  at 
tached  to  the  hospital  is  kept  very  neatly ;  however,  it  appeared  to 
me  to  be  inferior  to  those  in  the  hospitals  of  Boston  and  Montreal. 

For  the  purpose  of  visiting  the  newly-erected  lunatic  asylum, 
we  called  upon  Thomas  Eddy,*  an  aged  and  venerable  Quaker, 

[*  This  ornament  of  human  nature,  died  in  the  year  1827.] — THAXS. 
VOL.  I.  16 


122 

who  is  at  the  head  of  the  hospitals,  charitable  institutions,  &c.  I 
was  introduced  to  him  at  Dr.  Hosack's.  We  found  Mr.  Eddy  at 
home,  with  his  two  daughters,  his  son,  and  partner,  who  is  like 
wise  a  Quaker.  The  family  was  dressed  in  the  plainest  style, 
and  this  simplicity  joined  to  the  greatest  cleanliness,  prevailed 
through  the  whole  house.  Mr.  Eddy  is  in  possession  of  a  fine 
library,  which  he  showed  us;  it  contained  several  splendid  works 
on  natural  science;  among  others,  Wilson's  American  Ornithology, 
with  the  splendid  supplementary  volume  published  by  Charles  Lu- 
cian  Buonaparte,  son  of  Lucian  Buonaparte.  Mr.  Eddy  then  drove 
with  us  to  the  country-seat  of  Dr.  Hosack,  on  the  East  River, 
opposite  the  navy-yard.  Dr.  Hosack,  who  was  formerly  mar 
ried  to  a  sister  of  Mr.  Eddy,  accompanied  us  to  the  Lunatic 
Asylum.  This  is  five  miles  from  the  city,  on  a  hill,  in  a  very 
healthy  situation,  not  far  from  the  Hudson  River.  The  road  lies 
between  country-seats  and  handsome  garden's,  and  it  is  one  of  the 
most  pleasant  places  I  have  seen  in  America. 

The  asylum  is  built  of  sand-stone,  is  three  stories  high,  and 
surrounded  by  a  garden;  it  was  built  mostly  by  subscription,  bul 
is  likewise  supported  by  the  state  government.  Mr.  Eddy  i: 
one  of  its  greatest  benefactors  and  patrons.  There  were  one  bun 
dred  and  thirty -three  maniacs,  by  which  number  the  building  vva? 
almost  filled;  they  were  about  to  enlarge  it  by  two  other  wings. 
Besides  the  meeting  rooms  for  the  committee  in  the  first  story, 
there  are  the  apothecary's  shop,  and  the  wards  for  the  poor  pa 
tients,  who  have  a  large  corridor  and  sitting  room.  One  wing  o 
the  building  is  inhabited  by  the  male,  and  the  other  by  the  fcmal< 
patients.  There  are  subterraneous  passages  from  the  corridors  t< 
the  large  yard,  which  is  surrounded  by  walls,  and  serve  the  pa 
tients  for  walking,  exercise,  and  play.  In  the  middle  of  cacl 
yard  is  a  shelter  supplied  with  benches,  for  bad  weather.  In  th( 
upper  stories  are  the  rooms  for  the  inspectors,  and  several  othe 
apartments  where  patients  may  live  separately.  In  the  whol< 
establishment  great  cleanliness  is  observed;  but  still  the  institutioi 
appeared  to  me  less  perfect  than  the  asylum  of  Boston,  or  tha 
of  Glasgow  in  Scotland.  The  garden  is  kept  in  very  good  order 
there  is  likewise  a  hot-house,  which  is  supplied  mostly  from  Dr 
Hosack's  collection.  On  the  roof  of  the  house  is  a  platform,  fron 
which  we  had  a  very  pleasant  and  extensive  view. 

A  Philosophical  Society  hold  their  meetings  in  the  same  build 
ing  containing  the  American  Museum.  In  one  of  the  rooms  i 
a  collection  of  minerals,  not  yet  very  extensive,  but  exhibitiiij 
many  fine  minerals  from  the  northern  frontiers  of  the  Unitc< 
States.  Another  saloon  contains  a  collection  of  paintings,  wind 
do  not  appear  to  be  very  valuable.  The  best  picture  was  a  por 
trait  of  the  celebrated  American  painter,  Benjamin  West,  win 


123 

died  in  London;  this  picture  is  from  the  masterly  pencil  of  Sir 
Thomas  Lawrence.  There  are  two  painting  by  Teniers,  and 
two  others  by  Salvator  Rosa.  I  was  particularly  pleased  with 
one  of  the  latter;  an  old  soldier  pray  ing  in  a  wild  landscape  before 
a  simple  cross!  Two  other  paintings  are  said  to  be  by  Rubens: 
among  these  I  observed  a  portrait  of  Rubens,  of  which  the  origi 
nal  is  in  the  collection  of  Mr.  Schamp,  at  Ghent.  There  are 
likewise  good  plaster-casts  of  the  best  Roman  antiques,  of  a  Ve 
nus  of  Milo,^and  the  three  Graces  of  Canova,  and  likewise  two 
gladiators  of  full  size  by  the  same  artist. 

The  house  of  Commodore  Chauncey*  is  situated  on  a  hill  in 
the  navy-yard,  which  affords  a  fine  view  of  the  wharf  and  Long 
Island.  The  commodore  took  a  walk  with  me  to  the  wharf.  As 
I  left  his  house,  I  was  escorted  by  a  guard  of  honour  of  thirty  ma 
rines,  commanded  by  a  captain;  in  the  meantime  the  man-of-war 
Franklin  saluted  me  with  twenty -one  guns.  This  mark  of  re 
spect  was  quite  unexpected  in  the  United  States,  and  of  course  I 
was  the  more  surprised  and  flattered. 

•  In  the  navy-yard,  two  frigates  and  two  corvettes,  not  yet 
named,  were  building;  one  frigate  was  finished,  but  was  still 
under  cover.  Both  frigates  are  called  forty-fours,  but  carry 
each  sixty-four  guns.  These  are  intended  to  be  thirty-two 
pounders,  which  is  now  the  common  calibre  of  the  navy  of  the 
United  States.  The  vessels  are  built  of  live  oak,  from  North 
Carolina;  the  timbers  are  salted  in  order  to  prevent  the  dry-rot. 
The  three  ships  of  the  line,  Franklin,  Washington,  and  Ohio, 
"were  in  ordinary;  they  are  called  seventy-fours,  but  the  two  first 
are  each  calculated  for  eighty-six  and  the  latter  for  one  hundred 
and  six  guns.  I  saw  likewise  the  renowned  steam-frigate  Ful 
ton  the  First,  of  which  many  fables  have  been  fabricated  in  Europe. 
The  schooner  Shark,  of  eight  guns,  was  perfectly  fitted  out,  and 
ready  to  sail  in  a  few  days  for  the  coast  of  Africa,  in  order  to  pre 
vent  the  slave-trade. 

At  a  second  visit,  we  first  went  on  board  the  steam-frigate, 
Fulton  the  First;  this  vessel  is  entirely  disarmed,  and  serves  as 
a  receiving  ship.  She  is  a  floating  battery,  and  was  to  carry 
thirty  thirty-two  pounders.  .Her  sides  are  six  feet  thick,  made 
of  oak  timbers,  which  are  fixed  upon  and  crossing  each  other,  so 
that  the  vessel  may  be  compared  to  a  floating  block-house.  Her 
machinery  resembles  that  of  a  team-boat:  she  has  two  parallel 
keds,  between  these  an  engine  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-horse 
power  is  fixed,  and  one  large  wheel  is  moved  by  it.  The  vessel 
-is  very  spacious:  in  several  places  reverberatory  furnaces  may 
ibe  added,  in  order  to  heat  balls  red-hot.  Before  this  frigate  was 

*  Commodore  of  the  navy-yard. 


124 

dismantled,  she  carried  two  small  masts  with  triangular  sails,  but. 
the  commodore  has  substituted  large  masts  with  the  usual  sails, 
for  the  instruction  of  the  sailors.  The  machinery  had  been  taken 
out  for  some  months,  and  placed  in  an  arsenal  on  the  wharf: 
the  place  it  had  occupied  was  covered  with  boards,  to  make  a 
common  deck  for  the  sailors.  Since  that  time  an  upper  deck  has 
been  built,  upon  which  are  comfortable  state-rooms  for  the  of 
ficers.  This  frigate  has  been  spoken  of  as  a  real  miracle;  that  she 
presented  towards  the  enemy  a  forest  of  swords  and  lances,  and 
threw  a  stream  of  boiling  water,  &c.  all  of  these  are  stories.  Her 
construction  during  the  latter  part  of  the  war  with  England  was 
merely  an  experiment,  though  it  caused  the  English  a  great  deal 
of  anxiety.  All  competent  judges  with  whom  I  conversed  con 
cerning  this  vessel,  objected  to  her  and  were  of  opinion  that  this 
large  body  could  only  be  used  to  defend  straits.  She  never 
was  at  sea,  and  some  feared  that  she  would  be  unfit  for  it.  More 
over,  as  the  navy-board  at  Washington  having  objections  to  the  fur 
ther  application  of  steam  to  ships  of  war,  it  is  probable  that  they 
will  discontinue  the  building  of  more  steam -frigates,  although  the 
machinery  of  a  second  is  already  finished  and  placed  in  the  ma 
gazine. 

We  were  likewise  on  board  of  the  two  ships  of  the  line,  Ohio 
and  Franklin.  The  Ohio  is  of  a  new  construction,  and  has  not 
yet  been  in  service;  the  Franklin  and  Washington,  however,  have 
already  made  several  voyages.  The  sides  of  the  Ohio  are  thicker 
than  those  of  the  other  ships,  and  her  decks  higher:  all  these  men 
of  war  have  not  the  modern  round,  but  broad  sterns,  in  each  of 
which  is  a  battery  of  twelve  guns.  Only  one  of  the  frigates,  still 
standing  on  the  stocks,  has  an  elliptical  stern,  which  unites  the 
defensive  power  of  the  round,  with  the  elegance  of  the  broad 
sterns. 

Every  thing  appears  to  be  in  an  improving  state  at  the  arsenal. 
In  the  house  where  the  office  of  the  commodore  and  his  agents  is 
kept,  there  is  a  hall  fitted  up  as  a  chapel;  this  serves  during  the 
week  as  a  school-room  for  the  midshipmen;  we  found  these  young 
gentlemen  engaged  in  their  mathematical  studies,  under  the  di 
rection  of  the  chaplain. 

In  the  harbour  we  visited  two  Liverpool  packet-ships,  the 
William  Thompson  and  the  Pacific.  Every  regular  mode  of 
communication  between  two  places,  by  stages,  steam-boats,  &c.  is 
here  called  a  line.  Two  years  since,  I  saw  the  packet-ship  Cor- 
tez,  at  Liverpool,  and  admired  her  elegant  arrangements;  but  these 
:wo  vessels  were  far  superior  to  her  in  regard  to  elegance  and 
comfort.  Both  have  a  large  dining  room,  and  in  its  centre  a  long 
mahogany  table;  on  both  sides  of  the  dining  room  are  the  state 
rooms,  each  of  them  containing  two  beds  one  above  the  other, 


125 

and  a  wash-table.  In  this  cabin  there  are  ten  of  these  state-rooms, 
five  on  each  side,  and,  besides,  near  the  windows  in  the  stern  of 
the  ship,  there  are  two  state-rooms  having  but  one  bed,  so  that 
twenty-two  gentlemen  may  be  accommodated.  The  mizen-mast 
passes  through  the  cabin  and  table.  The  cabin  is  lighted  partly 
by  the  windows  in  the  stern  and  partly  by  a  large  skylight;  the 
state-rooms  receive  their  light  by  patent  deck-lights.  There  is 
another  room  in  front  of  the  dining  room,  for  the  ladies,  near  the 
mainmast,  where  the  motion  of  the  vessel  is  the  least  felt;  on  each 
side  of  their  room,  are  two  state-rooms,  for  eight  ladies.  The  sides  of 
the  dining  room  and  ladies  cabin  are  of  mahogany  and  curled  ma 
ple,  with  elegant  looking-glasses.  In  the  Pacific,  between  every 
two  state-rooms  there  are  columns  of  white  marble.  All  the  set 
tees  are  of  mahogany  covered  with  black  horse  hair  cushions,  and 
the  floors  of  both  cabins  are  richly  carpeted.  The  stairs  which 
lead  into  the  dining  room,  are  likewise  of  mahogany  and  covered 
by  a  shelter,  under  which  sea-sick  passengers  may  sit  on  benches. 
There  is  likewise  a  roof  over  the  poop,  where  passengers  may 
walk  and  be  sheltered  from  the  rain  and  sun.  The  passage  from 
New  York  to  Liverpool  costs  but  thirty  guineas,  for  which  price 
passengers  are  perfectly  accommodated.  Each  packet  is  of  about 
five  hundred  tons,  and  they  sometimes  make  the  passage  in  se 
venteen  days.  On  the  1st  and  16th  of  each  month,  one  of  the  eight 
vessels  of  this  line  leaves  New  York  for  Liverpool,  and  on  the 
same  clay  another  leaves  Liverpool'  for  New  York. 

On  the  first  Sunday  of  my  stay  in  New  York,  I  visited  the  new 
Lutheran  church,  with  the  consul,  Mr.  Zimmerman.  The  service 
was  in  English,  because  there  are  at  New  York  but  few  descend 
ants  of. German  parents  who  understand  the  German  language. 
Dr.  Schaeffer  preached:  he  is  a  native  of  Philadelphia,  and  the 
son  of  a  German  clergyman;  his  sermon  was  good  and  not  too 
long,  but  after  the  sermon  came  a  lamentation  upon  the  miserable 
state  of  the  church  funds,  which  was  not  particularly  edifying. 
There  appeared  to  be  a  deficit  of  eighteen  thousand  dollars,  which 
the  consistory  tried  to  make  up  by  subscription,  to  which  the 
congregation  was  invited  to  contribute.  Dr.  Schaeffer's  con 
gregation  formerly  belonged  to  an  older  Lutheran  church,  .still 
existing  in  this  city,  but  they  parted  from  the  latter  and  establish 
ed  a  new  church,  though  rather  in  too  extravagant  a  style,  as  their 
expenses  were  disproportioned  to  their  income.  The  minister 
besides  complained  of  his  own  small  salary,  and  implied  that  an 
augmentation  would  not  be  unpleasant  to  him,  as  he  stood  in  need 
of  it. 

It  is  a  difficult  matter  to  ride  in  a  carriage  through  the  streets 
on  Sunday,  because  there  are  chains  stretched  across  in  front  of 


i2t> 

the  churches,  to  prevent  their  passage  during  service.     The  land 
of  liberty  has  also  its  chains!* 

In  this  manner  eight  days  soon  elapsed,  and  amusement  was 
not  wanting,  as  my  mind  was  occupied  with  interesting  and  use 
ful  novelties.  I  passed  my  time  in  cheerful  and  pleasant  company. 
At  dinner  and  evening  parties  I  continued  to  make  interesting 
acquaintances  with  men  of  different  occupations  and  professions. 
,  I  observed  that  the  families  I  visited  were  richly  furnished  with 
silver,  china,  and  glass;  the  fine  arts  also  contributed  to  the  orna 
ment  of  their  apartments.  At  the  evening  parties  we  commonly 
had  music  and  dancing  The  dinner  parties  consisted  generally 
of  from  twenty  to  thirty  persons,  whose  conversation  was  gene 
rally  refined.  In  New  York,  as  well  as  at  all  other  places,  where 
English  customs  prevail,  the  ladies  leave  the  table  during  the 
dessert,  and  the  gentlemen  keep  their  seats ;  however,  nobody  is 
obliged  to  drink,  unless  he  feels  inclined.  Every  one  rises  and 
leaves  the  house  without  ceremony.  The  servants  are  generally 
negroes  and  mulattos;  most  of  the  white  servants  are  Irish ;  the 
Americans  have  a  great  abhorrence  of  servitude.  Liveries  are  not 
to  be  seen;  the  male  servants  wear  frock  coats.  All  the  families 
complain  of  bad  servants  and  their  impudence,  because  the  latter 
consider  themselves  on  an  equality  with  their  employers.  Of 
this  insolence  of  servants  I  saw  daily  examples.  Negroes  and 
mulattos  are  abundant  here,  but  they  generally  rank  low,  and  are 
labourers.  There  are  but  a  few  slaves  in  the  state  of  New  York, 
and  even  these  are  to  be  freed  in  the  year  1827,  according  to  a 
law  passed  by  senate  of  the  state.  There  are  public  schools  esta 
blished  for  the  instruction  of  coloured  children,  and  I  was  told 
that  these  little  ape-like  creatures  do  sometimes  learn  very  well. 
In  the  city  there  are  several  churches  belonging  to  the  coloured 
population;  most  of  them  are  Methodists,  some  Episcopalians.  A 
black  minister,  who  was  educated  in  an  Episcopalian  seminary, 
is  said  to  be  a  good  preacher.  But  there  is  in  this  country  a  great 
abhorrence  of  this  class  of  people,  who  are  obliged  to  live  almost 
like  the  Indian  Farias.  In  the  army  they  are  only  employed  as 
musicians,  but  are  never  admitted  to  be  soldiers.  Soldiers  are  not 
even  allowed  to  be  of  mixed  blood  !t 

Colonel  Bankhead,  of  the  second  artillery  regiment,  who  was 

[This  unwarrantable  and  exasperating1   usurpation   of  extending   CHAINS 

across  the  public  highways  is  not  attempted  by  all  religious  sects.     Through 

the  good  sense  of  congregations  it  has  been  entirely  relinquished  in  some  of 

our  cities.    That  it  is  productive  of  more  dislike  to  churches  and  churchmen  than 

of  any  other  result,  is  a  truth  which  will  one  day  be  profoundly  felt.]— TRANS, 

Blacks  are  shipped  as  seamen  in  the  navy  of  the  United   States,   where 

hey  stand  on  the  same  level  with  white  seamen.] TRANS. 


127 

on  the  recruiting  service  in  this  city,  offered  to  show  me  the  for 
tifications  for  the  defence  of  the  bay  of  New  York.  We  sailed 
in  a  boat,  along  with  General  Swift  and  an  engineer,-  first  to  Go 
vernor's  Island,  opposite  to  New  York. 

Upon  this  small  island  is  a  fort  of  red  sandstone,  called  Co 
lumbus;  it  consists  of  four  bastions,  which,  on  the  .city  side,  has 
still  a  covered  work  between  two  of  the  bastions,  hut  further 
below,  in  the  Narrows,  new  fortifications  have  been  built,  and 
therefore  Fort  Columbus  is  considered  useless  and  is  neglected. 
In  the  interior  are  the  barracks  and  arsenals,  the  former  in  very 
good  order,  and  inhabited  by  a  company  of  artillery.  I  found  a 
bible  in  each  room,  and  was  informed  that  it  was  a  present  from 
the  New  York  Bible  Society. 

West  of  the  fort,  near  the  river,  there-is,  a  tower  after  the  style  of 
Montalambert,  called  Castle  Williams.  This  was  commenced  in 
1803,  and  finished  in  1811.  Colonel  Macrea  of  the  artillery  in 
the  fort,  received  me  with  twenty-one  guns.  The  officers  have 
lodgings  and  gardens  on  the  glacis  of  the  fort;  there  is  likewise 
a  wooden  barrack,  which  serves  in  time  of  war  for  a  battalion  of 
infantry;  a  large  two-story  brick  house  with  a  piazza,  is  intend 
ed  for  the  head-quarters  of  the  commanding  general.  Opposite  to 
Castle  Williams,  are  two  small  islands;  on  each  of  them  is  like 
wise  a  battery,  called  Fort  Wood  and  Fort  Gibson.  These  bat 
teries  appear  but  small,  and  the  principal  defence  will  be  at  Cas 
tle  Williams,  where  also  I  observed  furnaces  for  heating  shot. 
From  this  spot  there  is  a  particularly  fine  view  of  the  city. 

We  then  sailed  along  the  western  .shores  of  Long  Island,  to 
the  straits  called  the  Narrows,  a  thousand  yards  wide,  and 
iormed  by  the  shores  of  Long  Island  and  Staten  Island.  They 
are  defended  by  Fort  Tompkins  on  Staten  Island,  and  Fort 
La  Fayette  on  Long  Island.  We  visited  the  latter;  it  is  built 
on  rocks  in  the  sea,  two  hundred  and  fifty  yards  distant  from 
the  shores,  so  that  it  forms  an  island.  It  is  a  square  building,  and 
erected  after  a  plan  of  General  Swift.  From  the  outside  it  has 
the  appearance  of  a  Montalambert  tower.  The  outside  of  the 
walls  is  of  red  sandstone,,  but  their  interior  of  gneiss;  it  was  gar 
risoned  by  one  company  of  artillery.  During  peace  a  shed  was 
built  over  the  platform,  and  a  garrison  stationed  here  during 
the  present  hot  summer. 

Fort  Tompkins  stands  on  a  height  opposite  to  Fort  La 
Fayette,  and  on  the  shore  of  Staten  Island  is  a  battery  which  de 
fends  the  Narrows  by  a  raking  fire. 

On  Long  Island  is  another  hill  near  the  village  of  New 
Utrecht  which  commands  Fort  La  Fayette,  and  in  the  vicinity 
there  is  a  bay,  where  the  English  and  Hessian  army  landed  in 
the  year  177G,  when  .coming  from  Staten  Island  to  take  pos- 


128 

session  of  Long  Island.  In  order  to  defend  this  spot  sufficiently 
they  are  about  to  build  a  very  strong  fort  designed  by  General 
Bernard,  resembling  Fort  Francis,  nearCoblenz,  (on  the  Rhine.) 
The  casemates,  calculated  for  dwellings  as  well  as  for  defence, 
are  to  be  built  under  the  ramparts,  whose  front  face  will  be  three 
hundred  and  seventy -five  feet  long:  they  are  to  be  covered  with 
earth,  and  a  common  rampart  erected  on  top  of  them.  In  front 
of  this  is  a  covered  way  in  the  ditch,  lower  than  the  ramparts, 
with  six  guns,  three  on  each  side,  for  the  defence  of  the  ditch,  &c. 
They  were  just  beginning  to  build  this  fort,  which  is  to  be  called 
Fort  Hamilton,  and  the  engineer-officers  thought  that  it  would 
not  be  finished  in  less  than  four  years.  The  government  has  ex 
perienced  the  disadvantage  of  those  buildings  which  were  built 
by  contract,  and  this  well-arranged  work  will  therefore  be  built 
under  the  immediate  direction  of  government.  General  Bernard 
is  a  Frenchman;  he  was  engineer  at  Antwerp,  and  obtained  the  at 
tention  and  favour  of  the  Emperor  Napoleon  byhisgreatknowledge 
and  modesty,  who  appointed  him  his  aid.  In  1815,  he  entered  the 
service  of  the  United  States,  at  the  recommendation  of  General  La 
Fayette,  and  was  appointed  in  the  engineer  corps  under  the  title 
of  assistant  engineer,  with  the  salary  of  a  brigadier-general,  but 
without  wearing  the  uniform  of  the  engineer  corps,  nor  having 
any  rank  in  the  army. 

He  is  a  great  acquisition  to  the  corps,  and  I  was  somewhat  as 
tonished  at  the  cool  and  indifferent  manner  in  which  they  spoke 
of  this  distinguished  engineer.  The  cause,  however,  of  this  cool 
ness,  undoubtedly  is  to  be  found  in  a  silly  misconception  of  pa 
triotism;  for  the  general  is  a  foreigner,  and  frequent  experience 
has  shown  that  a  foreigner  in  military  service  seldom  enjoys 
satisfaction.  Two  new  fortifications  are  to  be  built  outside 
of  the  Narrows  on  rocks,  in  order  still  better  to  defend  the 
entrance  to  New  York,  by  firing  crosswise  at  vessels,  and  are 
intended  to  serve  as  advanced  posts  to  Forts  La  Fayette  and 
Tompkins. 

A  gun-maker,  by  name  of  Ellis,  received  a  patent  for  making 
repeating-guns;  I  visited  him  in  company  with  Mr.  Tromp.  A 
repeating  musket  will  fire  frequently  after  being  once  loaded; 
it  consists  of  a  long  tube,  in  which  touch-holes  are  bored  at  cer 
tain  distances,  according  to  the  number  of  shots  it  is  intended  to 
discharge.  The  musket  is  charged  in  the  usual  way,  a  piece  of 
sole-leather  is  put  upon  the  load,  on  this  another  charge,  and 
again  a  piece  of  leather,  &c.  until  the  required  number  is  intro 
duced,  according  to  the  size  of  the  tube.  For  each  of  these  loads, 
whose  height  is  known  by  a  mark  on  the  rod,  there  are  touch - 
holes  made  on  the  right  side  of  the  tube,  each  of  them  closed  by 
a  valve.  A  box  is  attached  to  the  lock,  which  primes  itself,  and 


129 

moves  downwards  from  the  highest  touch-hole  to  the  lowest,  un 
til  the  shots  are  gradually  discharged,  one  after  the  other,  and  in 
the  same  manner  the  valves  of  each  touch-hole  must  be  opened. 
This  instrument  was  very  interesting  to  me.  Mr.  Ellis  has  also 
made  an  experiment  of  his  plan  for  the  use  of  American 
troops,  but  it  seems  to  me  that  such  a  tube  would  be  much  too 
long  and  too  heavy,  and  the  loading  would  consume  too  much 
time,  not  to  speak  of  the  difficulty  of  drilling  a  man  to  use  this 
curious  weapon.  This  idea  struck  me,  and  my  opinion  was  con 
firmed  as  soon  as  I  tried  Mr.  Ellis's  gun.  The  experiments  I 
made  with  it,  proved  to  me  that  particular  care  would  be  neces 
sary  in  using  it  without  danger.  A  musket  of  this  nature,  con 
taining  five  charges,  fired  the  two  first  separately,  and  the  last 
three  at  once! 

We  also  went  with  Mr.  Tromp  to  several  private  wharves 
on  the  East  river;  the  largest  of  these  belongs  to  Mr.  Bayard, 
my  banker.     On  one  of  the  wharves  there  was  a  frigate  on  the 
stocks,  of  sixty-four  guns,  intended  for  the  Greeks;  they  worked 
very  industriously,  and  hoped  that  she  would  depart  for  her  des 
tination  next  year.      She  was  built  of  Carolina  live  oak  like  the 
!  government  vessels.     The  advantage  of  this  wood  is  said  to  be, 
i  that  in  addition  to  its  durability,  when  balls  strike  it,  they  sim- 
|  ply  make  a  hole,  without  many  splinters,  which  latter  generally 
j  disable  more  men  than  the  shot  themselves.     At  another  wharf 
lay  a  frigate  of  sixty-eight  guns,  with  an  elliptic  stern;  she  was 
|  built  for  the  republic  of  Colombia,  and  is  nearly  ready  for  sea; 
she  is  built  like  a  ship  of  the  line.     Her  gun-deck  was  so  high 
!  that  I  could  stand  upright  in  it.*     On  the  upper  deck  the  guns 
I  were  disposed  of  in  an  irregular  row,  which  gave  this  frigate  still 
i  more  the  appearance  of  a  ship  of  the  line.   The  three  masts  raked 
|  somewhat  like  those  of  a  schooner,  which  was  said  to  be  more 
i!  fashionable  than  useful.   When  we  came  on  board  they  were  just 
I,  finishing  the  officers  cabins;  they  were  built  of  mahogany  and* 
I  maple,  roomy,  and  the  state-rooms  long,  so  that  the  officers  are 
,  very  comfortably  situated.     The  cabins  as  well  as  the  mess- 
;  rooms  were  below  deck,  therefore  not  in  the  way  during  an 
I  action.     In  the  battery  were  only  the  rooms  of  the  captain, 
j  There  were  also  two  other  men  of  war  on  the  stocks,  of  smaller 
I  dimensions,  which  are  also  said  to  be  intended  for  Colombia. 
The  guns  of  all  these  ships  were  manufactured  at  Mr.  Campbell's 
foundry,  near  West  Point. 

The  house  of  the  American  Bible  Society,  to  which  I  was  ac 
companied  by  Mr.  Eddy,  was  built  by  voluntary  contributions 

*  [The  duke,  it  will  be  recollected,  was  rather  above  six  feet  in  height.] 

TllAXS, 

VOL.  I.  17 


130 

of  its  members,  and  has  been  three  years  finished.  It  is  four  sto 
ries  his;h,  built  of  red  sandstone  and  brick,  and  cost  twenty-two 
thousand  dollars  In  the  basement  story  is  the  office  and  place  of 
deposite  for  bound  bibles,  which  lie  on  shelves,  ready  to  be  sent 
away.  The  English  bibles  are  sold  at  one  dollar  and  forty  cents, 
and  the  Spanish,  of  which  a  great  number  are  printed  and  intend 
ed  for  South  America,  for  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents.  They  also 
sell  a  great  many  new  testaments  separately. 

In  the  office  I  saw  a  great  collection  of  old  and  new  bibles; 
among  them  I  observed  Walton's  Polyglot,  of  which  I  had  al 
ready  seen  a  copy  in  the  library  of  Harvard  College,  near 
Boston;  an  old  bible,  printed  in  Switzerland,  in  the  old  German 
text;  also  a  new  very  elegant  folio  bible,  printed  at  Zurich;  one 
in  Irish,  with  the  most  singular  type;  a  bible  half  in  the  Scla 
vonic  and  half  in  the  Russian  language;  in  showing  the  latter  they 
told  me  that  bible  societies  were  prohibited  in  Russia;  also  two 
bibles  in  Chinese,  one  printed  at  Calcutta,  and  the  other  at  Macao. 
The  printing-office  and  the  bookbindery  of  the  society  are  in  the 
second,  third,  and  fourth  stories  of  the  building,  and  are  in  charge 
of  a  bookbinder  and  printer  under'certain  contracts.  In  the  gar 
ret  they  dry  the  fresh  printed  sheets.  The  English  and  Spanish 
bibles  are  stereotyped ;  they  have  now  in  operation  twelve  or 
thirteen  presses:  these  presses  are  made  of  iron  and  very  simple, 
but  without  a  drawing  a  description  of  them  would  be  unintelligible. 
To  every  press  there  is  a  workman,  and  a  boy  whose  business  it  is 
to  ink  the  form.  At  the  bookbindery  several  women  and  girls  are 
engaged  to  fold  the  sheets.  These  persons  work  in  the  third  story, 
and  in  order  to  separate  them  entirely  from  the  males,  there  is  a 
separate  .stair  for  them  to  ascend.  The  large  hall  where  the  mem 
bers  of  the  bible  society  meet,  is  decorated  with  two  portraits, 
one  of  Governor  Jay,  and  the  other  of  Dr.  Boudinot,  first  president 
of  the  society. 

•     The  high  school  was  also  built  by  subscription;  in  this  build 
ing  three  hundred  boys  are  educated,  not  gratuitously,  as  in 
Boston,  but  by  a  quarterly  payment, -according  to  the  class  the 
boy  is  m.    In  the  first  class  every  child  has  to  pay  three  dollars, 
in  the  second,  five,  in  the  third,  seven  dollars;  the  mode  of  in 
struction  is  the  Lancasterian.   In  the  lower  classes  are  small  chil 
dren,  some  only  four  years  old;  they  learn  spelling,   reading, 
writing,  and  the  elements  of  arithmetic.   The  boys  are  generally 
commanded  by  the  sound  of  a  whistle,  like  sailors;  they  rise, 
seat   themselves,   take  their  slates,  and  put  them   away,   form 
classes  in  order  to  change  the  different  courses  of  instruction,  ail 
•1  which  is  done  at  the  whistle  of  the  instructors.   In  the  middle 
education  is  more  extended;  the  children  are  instructed  in 
nmar,  English,  Latin,  history,  geography,  physics,  and  make 


131 

likewise  considerable  progress  in  mathematics.  In  the  highest 
class  the  boys  are  instructed  in  the  higher  mathematics,  and  are 
prepared  to  enter  college.  As  I  entered  the  school  they  were  just 
receiving  instruction  in  geography.  The  teacher  asked,  where  is 
Weimar?  The  answer  was,  on  the  Rhine.  The  instructor  then  in 
formed  the  children  of  the  meritorious  share  my  forefathers  had  in 
the  Reformation,  and  praised  the  encouragement  given  in  modern 
times  to  literature  in  Weimar.  He  spoke  altogether  with  great 
enthusiasm  of  German  literature,  and  concluded  by  wishing  that 
the  time  might  soon  come,  when  instruction  in  the  German  lan 
guage  should  be  given  at  this  school.  As  I  left  the  room  the 
scholars  spontaneously  applauded  me,  and  I  confess  I  was  affect 
ed  by  it.  In  this  higher  class  the  orders  are  also  given  with  a 
whistle,  combined  however  with  a  small  telegraph,  which  stands 
on  the  desk  of  the  principal.  This  school,  which  is  only  seven 
years  old,  is  already  in  possession  of  a  very  handsome  mineralo- 
gical  cabinet,  and  a  small  philosophical  apparatus. 

The  institution  for  juvenile  offenders  is  situated  out  of  town; 
it  is  for  children  condemned  by  the  court  to  imprisonment,  and 
I'  are  thus  confined  in  a  separate  prison  to  improve  their  principles 
|  by  education.     When  they  are  improved,  and  have  some  educa- 
I  tion,  they  are  then  bound  out  to  a  farmer  in  the  country,  but  if 
|  they  are  of  an  untameable  disposition,  and  need  stronger  control, 
j  they  are  then  disposed  of  as  sailors.     The  girls  are  bound  out  as 
|  servants  in  the  country.     In  order  to  have  a  good  location  for 
j  this  institution,  the  society  bought,  of  the  United  States  govern- 
I  ment,  a  building,  heretofore  used  as  an  arsenal,  but  become  use- 
|  less  to  the  government  on  account  of  its  distance  from  the  water. 
\  It  has  existed  but  one  year,  and  has  at  present  forty-four  juvenile 
|  delinquents.     The  sexes  are  separated,  and  each  child  occupies 
J  a  distinct  chamber.     During  the  day  they  are  mostly  employed 
ij  in  learning,  and  in  domestic  occupations.     As  the  building  was 
I  not  sufficiently  large  to  receive  all  the  offenders,  a  new  one  was 
j!  built  in  the  rear  of  the  first,  which  the  boys  were  employed 
i  in  erecting.     One  of  the  boys  who  had  escaped  twice,  walked 
!i  about  with  an  iron  chain  and  heavy  iron  ball  secured  to  his  leg. 
|  A  young  man  of  respectable  family,  sixteen  years  old,  who  was 
\  imprisoned  for  his  great  propensity  to  stealing,  was  employed 
I  as  a  sub-instructor,  account-keeper,  and  sub-overseer  of  the  in 
stitution.      Hopes  are  still  entertained  that  he  may  be  reclaimed. 
From  this  institution,  Mr.  Eddy  led  me  to  another  establish 
ment,  also  founded  and  supported  by  voluntary  contributions, 
viz.  the  Orphan  Asylum.     The  house,  in  which  there  are  one 
hundred  children  of  both  sexes,  is  in  a  very  healthy  situation; 
the  rooms  are  large,  and  the  children  sleep  in  wards,  which  con 
tain  twelve  beds.   They  are  instructed  in  reading,  writing,  arith- 


132 

metic,  particularly  in  mental  calculation,  and  at  the  age  of  twelve 
years  they  are  bound  out  to  farmers.  Several  of  the  boys  were 
very  expert  in  mental  calculation,  and  solved  the  following  ques 
tions  with  great  facility: — -How  much  is  three  hundred  and 
twenty  multiplied  by  three  hundred  and  forty;  how  many  days 
constitute  three  years  seven  months  and  twenty-one  days?  The 
manner  of  instruction  is  Lancasterian.  The  principal  directors 
of  this  institution  are  Friends,  among  whom  Mr.  Collins  is  said 
to  be  the  most  distinguished.  . 

With  Mr.  Eddy,  I  also  visited  the  state-prison,  which  contains 
about  five  hundred  and  fifty  prisoners  of  both  sexes,  and  can  re 
ceive  seven  hundred.  The  building  stands  in  the  village  of 
Greenwich,  was  built  about  twenty  years,  and  at  that  time  stood 
quite  insulated;  since  that  period  the  population  has  so  rapidly  in 
creased,  that  Greenwich  is  united  with  New  York,  and  three 
sides  of  the  prison  arc  surrounded  with  rows  of  houses;  the  fourth 
faces  the  Hudson  river.  In  front  of  the  house  are  the  offices  and 
stores,  behind  this  are  two  courts,  which  are  separated  by  a 
church;  one  yard  is  for  males,  and  the  other  for  females.  The 
dwellings  surround  the  yards,  and  are  three  stories  high.  The 
prisoners  sleep  eight  in  a  room,  on  straw  mats,  covered  with 
woollen  blankets;  every  sleeping  room  is  separately  locked;  the 
eating-hall  is  spacious;  the  fare,  good  brown  bread,  soup,  and 
three  times  a  week  meat;  on  other  days,  fish.  The  workshops  arc 
in  appropriate  buildings,  partly  built  of  wood,  standing  in  sepa 
rate  yards.  You  find  among  them  all  kinds  of  handicrafts,  and 
all  domestic  utensils  and  clothing  are  manufactured.  Articles  in 
tended  for  sale,  are  generally  wooden  ware,  brushes,  and  other 
household  utensils.  The  prisoners  receive  no  money,  and  if  they 
are  backward  in  working,  or  otherwise  behave  ill,  they  are  sub 
jected  to  solitary  confinement,  which  soon  brings  them  to  their 
senses.  There  is  nothing  to  object  to  this  building,  except  that 
the  stairs  are  of  wood,  and  there  is  otherwise  too  much  wood 
about  the  house,  which  appears  to  me  dangerous,  in  case  of  fire. 

On  the  second  Sunday  of  my  stay  in  this  city,  I  went  with  the 
consul,  Mr.  Zimmerman,  to  a  German  Lutheran  church,  where 
the  venerable  Mr.  Geisenhcimer,  performed  the  service  in  the 
German  language.  It  was  a  curious  accident,  that,  when  I  en 
tered  the  church,  they  sung  an  ancient  hymn,  which  was  com 
posed  by  Duke  William,  of  Saxe-Weimar.  My  ancestor  cer 
tainly  never  expected  that  one  of  the  unworthiest  of  his  descend 
ants  should,  for  the  first  time  in  his  life  hear,  in  the  new  world, 
that  he  had  composed  church  music,  and  that  this  hymn  should 
originally  greet  his  ears  in  New  York.  The  church  is  very  old 
and  inelegant;  the  congregation  was  plain:  however,  they  are  not 
in  debt,  and  the  church  is  moreover  said  to  possess  a  good  fund. 


133 

The   organ    was   good,   and   the   performance   of  the   organist 
pleasing. 

I  twice  visited  the  theatre;  in  Chatham  Theatre,  situated  at  the  < 
extremity  of  a  public  garden,  they  performed  the  melo-drama  of 
the  Lady  of  the  Lake  tolerably  well.  I  was  much  pleased  with 
the  inside  of  the  theatre,  and  particularly  with  the  decorations; 
it  was  full  of  people,  and  the  heat  extreme.  Ladies  of  the  first 
fashion  do  not  go  often  to  the  theatre.  In  the  pit  persons  pulled 
off  their  coats,  in  order  to  be  cool.  At  the  Park  Theatre,  so  call 
ed  because  it  is  situated  near  the  Park,  the  drama  of  William 
Tell  was  performed,  and  the  after-piece  of  Love,  Law  and  Phy 
sic.  The  first  is  by  no  means  an  imitation  of  Schiller's  drama, 
but  entirely  dressed  up  in  English  taste,  with  a  full  share  of  bat 
tles.  Whenever  any  observation  was  made  in  favour  of  liberty, 
the  pit  applauded.  The  decorations  were  very  handsome,  and  I 
was  pleased  with  the  internal  arrangement  of  the  theatre,  but  the 
spectators  were  not  numerous.  The  visitors  of  the  theatre  are  en 
tirely  unrestrained ;  the  gentlemen  keep  on  their  hats  in  the  boxes, 
and  in  the  pit  they  make  themselves  in  every  respect  comfort 
able. 

On  the  afternoon  of  the  third  of  October,  there  was  a  great 
procession  of  negroes,  some  of  them  well  dressed,  parading 
through  the  streets,  two  by  two,  preceded  by  music  and  a  flag. 
An  African  club,  called  the  Wilberforce  Society,  thus  celebrated 
the  anniversary  of  the  abolition  of  slavery  in  New  York,  and^ 
concluded  the  day  by  a  dinner  and  ball.  The  coloured  people 
of  New  York,  belonging  to  this  society,  have  a  fund  of  their 
own,  raised  by  weekly  subscription,  which  is  employed  in  as 
sisting  sick  and  unfortunate  blacks.  This  fund,  contained  in  a 
sky-blue  box,  was  carried  in  the  procession;  the  treasurer  hold 
ing  in  his  hand  a  large  gilt  key;  the  rest  of  the  officers  wore  ri 
bands  of  several  colours,  and  badges  like  the  officers  of  free  ma 
sons;  marshals  with  long  staves  walked  outside  of  the  proces 
sion.  During  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  scarcely  any  but  black  faces 
were  to  be  seen  in  Broadway.  • 

Mr.  J.  R.  Livingston,  a  very  respectable  citizen  of  New  York, 
whose  country  seat  is  at  Massena,  near  Redhook,  about  a  hundred 
miles  up  the  Hudson  river,  near  the  little  town  called  Hudson, 
invited  me  to  visit  him,  and  be  present  at  a  ball.  I  accepted  the 
invitation,  especially  as  I  was  informed  I  should  find  assembled 
there  the  best  society,  who  generally  reside  during  the  summer 
in  the  country. 

The  Grymes7  family,  which  arrived  at  New  York  not  long  af 
ter  me,  were  likewise  of  the  party.  Consequently  we  left  New 
York  on  the  5th  of  October,  on  board  the  safety-barge  Lady  Van 
Renssclaer,  for  Albany.  As  Mr.  Livingston  had  .invited  several 


134 

other  persons  of  the  best  families  of  New  York,  who  were  all  on 
board,  good  conversation  was  not  wanting.  About  half  past  five 
we  started,  but  did  not  long  enjoy  the  beauties  of  this  noble  ri 
ver,  as  it  soon  became  dark.  During  night  we  were  awakened 
with  the  unpleasant  news  that  the  leading  boat  had  run  ashore  in 
a  fog.  After  five  hours  of  useless  exertion  to  get  her  afloat,  we 
were  obliged  to  go  on  board  the  steam-boat  Henry  Eekford, 
passing  up  the  river.  This  boat  was  old,  and  no  longer  used  for 
conveying  passengers,  but  as  a  tow-boat.  She  had  vessels  at 
tached  to  her,  on  both  sides,  laden  with  goods,  which  gave  her 
the  appearance  of  a  ferry-boat.  Though  not  very  pleasantly  situ 
ated  on  board  of  this  boat,  we  had  a  good  opportunity  of  observ 
ing  the  magnificent  banks  of  the  river  after  the  fog  disappeared. 
Instead  of  arriving  at  eight  o'clock,  A.  M.  we  did  not  reach  our 
place  of  destination  till  five  o'clock  P.  M.  We  were  received  by 
the  owner,  a  gentleman  seventy-six  years  old,  and  his  lovely 
daughter.  The  house  is  pleasantly  situated  on  an  elevated  spot  in 
a  rather  neglected  park.  Our  new  acquaintances  mostly  belong 
ed  to  the  Livingston  family.  I  was  introduced  to  Mr.  Edward 
Livingston,  member  of  congress,  the  brother  of  our  entertainer, 
a  gentleman,  who  for  talent  and  personal  character,  stands  high 
in  this  country.  He  resides  in  Louisiana,  and  is  employed  in 
preparing  a  new  criminal  code  for  that  state,  which  is  much 
praised  by  those  who  are  acquainted  with  jurisprudence. 
4  In  the  evening  about  eight  o'clock,  the  company  assembled  at 
the  ball,  which  was  animated,  and  the  ladies  elegantly  attired. 
They  danced  nothing  but  French  contra-dances,  for  the  Ameri 
can  ladies  have  so  much  modesty  that  they  object  to  waltzing. 
The  ball  continued  until  two  o'clock  in  the  morning.  I  became 
acquainted  at  this  ball  with  two  young  officers  from  West  Point, 
by  the  name  of  Bache,  great  grandsons  of  Dr.  Franklin.  Their 
grandmother  was  the  only  daughter  of  this  worthy  man;  one  is 
a  lieutenant  of  the  artillery  at  West  Point,  and  the  other  was 
educated  in  the  same  excellent  school,  and  obtained  last  year  the 
first  prize-medal;  he  Was  then  appointed  lieutenant  of  the  engi 
neer  corps,  and  second  professor  of  the  science  of  engineering, 
under  Professor  Douglass.  On  the  following  day  we  took  a  ride 
in  spite  of  the  great  heat,  at  which  I  was  much  astonished,  as 
it  was  so  late  in  the  season,  to  the  country-seat  of  General 
Montgomery's  widow,  a  lady  eighty-two  years  of  age,  sister 
to  the  elder  Messrs.  Livingstons.  General  Montgomery  fell 
before  Quebec  on  the  31st  of  October,  1775.  This  worthy 
lady,  at  this  advanced  age,  is  still  in  possession  of  her  mental 
faculties;  her  eyes  were  somewhat  dim.  Besides  her  place  of  re 
sidence,  which  is  handsomely  situated  on  the  Hudson  river,  she 
possesses  a  good  fortune.  Adjoining  the  house  is  a  small  park 


135 

with  handsome  walks,  and  a  natural  waterfall  of  forty  feet.  I  ob 
served  in  the  house  a  portrait  of  General  Montgomery,  besides 
a  great  number  of  family  portraits,  which  the  Americans  seem  to 
value  highly.  According  to  this  painting  he  must  have  been  a 
very  handsome  man.  At  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  left 
our  friendly  landlord  and  embarked  in  the  steam-boat  Olive 
Branch,  belonging  to  the  Livingston  family  for  New  York,  where 
we  arrived  next  morning  at  six  o'clock. 

During  the  last  day  of  my  stay  at  New  York,  I  received  two 
interesting  visits,  one  from  the  Prussian  consul  at  Washington, 
Mr.  Niederstetter,  and  the  other  from  a  Piedmontese  count, 
Charles  Vidua,  who  has  made  several  journeys  through  Scandi 
navia,  Turkey,  Asia  Minor,  .Palestine,  Egypt,  &c.  and  is  now 
travelling  through  America.  Afterwards  I  paid  a  few  farewell 
visits.  At  Mr.  Eddy's  I  found  a  whole  society  of  Quakers,  men 
and  women;  they  took  much  pains  to  convince  me  of  the  excel 
lence  of  their  sect,  and  seemed  not  disinclined  to  adopt  me  as 
one  of  their  members;  at  least  they  desired  me  to  read  the  letter 
of  an  English  sea-captain,  who  resigned  his  situation  as  a  captain 
in  the  British  navy,  and  turned  Quaker.  Mr.  Eddy  gave  me 
likewise  Barclay's  Apology  for  the  Quakers,  in  German,  to  read 
and  reflect  upon. 


CHAPTER  XL 

Journey  to  Philadelphia, — Stay  in  that  place. — Bethlehem 
and  Nazareth. 

ON  the  10th  of  October  we  left  the  city  of  New  York  in  the 
steam-boat  Thistle,  which  conveyed  us  to  New  Brunswick, 
through  a  thick  fog  which  lasted  all  day.  For  several  days  past 
we  had  smoky,  warm  weather,  which  was  ascribed  to  the  burn 
ing  of  a  forest  in  the  state  of  Maine. 

The  shores  of  New  Jersey  seemed  flat  and  swampy,  resembling 
very  much  the  Dutch  banks.  As  we  approached  New  Bruns 
wick,  the  banks  of  the  Raritan  become  higher.  On  our  arrival, 
eight  stages  were  already  waiting  for  us,  having  each  four  horses, 
and  the  passengers  were  so  numerous  that  each  stage  carried  from 
eight  to  nine  persons;  we  had  hardly  time  to  have  our  baggage 
packed,  and  consequently  could  see  nothing  of  the  neighbour 
hood.  We  continued  our  journey  through  New  Brunswick,  ap 
parently  a  busy  and  well  built  place,  thirty  miles  by  land  to  Tren- 


136 

ton,  on  the  Delaware.  The  road  led  through  a  hilly  country, 
but  carefully  turnpiked,  several  pits  being  filled  up  to  make 
the  road  even.  This  road  is  formed  somewhat  according  to  the 
manner  of  German  turnpikes,  of  small  beaten  stones,  with  side- 
roads  and  ditches.  The  neighbourhood  is  mostly  woody,  con 
sisting  of  chesnlits  and  oaks.  The  forest  has  been  regularly  clear 
ed  of  undergrowth,  and  has  a  cleanly  appearance.  In  places  where 
wood  has  been  felled,  the  land  is  well  cultivated  with  corn  and 
fruit  trees.  Most  of  the  good-looking  houses  we  passed  were 
provided  with  cider-presses.  About  four  o'clock,  P.  M.  we  ar 
rived  at  Trenton,  and  immediately  embarked  in  the  steam-boat 
Philadelphia. 

I  was  very  sorry  forthis  great  huwy,  becausel  should  have  liked 
to  have  examined  Trenton;  it  is  a  very  handsome  place,  and  was 
to  me  particularly  interesting,  on  account  of  General  Washington's 
crossing  the  Delaware  above  Trenton,  in  the  winter  of  1776-77, 
and  attacking  a  troop  of  Hessians,  of  whom  he  took  one  thousand 
four  hundred  prisoners.  The  Hessian  Colonel  Rail  fell  in  this 
engagement.  This  was  one  of  the  best  fought  battles  of  the  Ame 
rican  war.  There  is,  moreover,  at  Trenton,  a  remarkable  bridge 
crossing  the  Delaware.  It  consists  of  five  greafrsuspended  wooden 
arches  which  rest  upon  two  stone  abutments,  and  three  stone 
piers.  The  difference  between  this  bridge  and  others  consists  in 
this,  that  in  common  bridges  the  road  runs  over  the  tangent, 
but  in  this  bridge,  the  roads  form  the  segment  of  the  arch. 
The  bridge  is  divided  in  two  roads  in  order  that  wagons  may  pass 
without  meeting,  and  has  also  side-walks  for  foot-passengers. 

The  banks  of  the  Delaware  are  hilly,  well  cultivated,  and  co 
vered  with  elegant  country-seats  and  villages.     The  neighbour 
hood,  and  the  breadth  of  the  river  reminded  me  of  the  river 
Main,  near  Frankfort;  unfortunately  we  could  not  enjoy  this 
handsome  landscape,  because  as  soon  as  we  arrived  on  board,  we 
set  down  to  dinner,  and  afterwards  it  became  dark.     Amongst 
other  little  towns,  we  passed  Bordentown,  where  Count  Sur- 
vilhers,  Joseph  Buonaparte,  ex-king  of  Spain,  has  a  very  hand 
some  country-seat,  and  Burlington.    About  eight  o'clock,  P.  M. 
we  reached  Philadelphia.  Mr.  Tromp,  who  left  New  York  a  few 
days  before,  came  immediately  on  board,  and  conducted  us  to  the 
Mansion  House,  where,  though  we  were  not  so  elegantly  lodged 
as  !  :  New  York,  we  found  every  thing  neat  and  comfortable. 
:t  morning  we  drove  out  early,  in  order  to  get  acquainted 
ith  the  city,  which  contains  more  than  one  hundred  and  twenty 
lousand  inhabitants,  and  to  observe  some  curiosities.    We  went 
»  Market  street  over  the  Schuylkill.     In  the  middle  of  this 
I  Market  street  or  High  street,  the  first  objects  we  perceived 
the  market-houses;  the  long,  straight,  uniform  streets,  which 


137 

appeared  to  be  endless,  seemed  singular  to  us:  they  are  mostly 
planted  with  poplars,  and  all  provided  with  paved  side-walks.  In 
point  of  showiness  of  stores  and  bustle,  the  streets  of  Philadelphia 
are  far  behind  New  York. 

The  two  bridges  over  the  Schuylkill  are  of  wood ;  Market 
street  bridge,  consists  of  three  covered  arches  of  very  strong 
wood-work,  which  rest  upon  two  stone  piers,  and  two  stone 
abutments.  These  piers  and  abutments  are  built  upon  a  rock  ; 
the  pier  on  the  west  side  must  have  cost  a  great  deal  of  labour, 
because  the  rock  on  which  it  stands,  is  dug  out  forty-one  feet 
below  low-water  mark.  It  is  said,  that  this  pier  required 
seventy-five  thousand  tons  of  stone.  The  length  of  this  bridge 
including  the  piers,  is  one  thousand  three  hundred  feet,  whereof 
the  wood-work  takes  up  five  hundred  and  fifty  feet ;  the  extent 
of  the  middle  arch  amounts  to  one  hundred  and  ninety  feet,  and 
the  two  others,  each  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  A  company, 
in  the  year  1798,  began  this  bridge,  and  finished  it  in  six  years. 
At  the  east  end  of  the  bridge  is  an  obelisk,  which  contains  the 
following  inscription :  that  besides  the  cost  of  the  ground  on 
which  this  bridge  and  its  appendages  stand,  and  which  amount 
to  forty  thousand  dollars,  there  were  two  hundred  and  thirty- 
five  thousand  dollars  expended  in  building  it;  about  a  mile 
above  this  bridge  there  is  another  over  the  Schuylkill,  which 
was  finished  in  1813,  and  cost  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
dollars ;  it  is  also  of  wood,  and  consists  of  a  single  arch, 
whose  segment  amounts  to  three  hundred  and  forty  feet,  four 
inches ;  a  toll  is  paid  for  crossing  both  bridges. 

Somewhat  north  of  the  last  bridge,  and  on  the  left  bank  of 
the  Schuylkill  are  the  water-works,  by  means  of  which  the 
whole  city  of  Philadelphia  is  supplied  with  water,  even  to  the 
tops  of  the  houses  if  wanting.  The  water  of  the  Schuylkill  is 
raised  by  aid  of  a  dam ;  the  water  runs  into  a  basin  behind  the 
dam  as  in  a  mill-pond  ;  hence  it  drives  by  its  fall  three  wheels, 
each  of  them  sixteen  feet  in  diameter,  which  are  in  an  appropri 
ate  building.  These  wheels  work  three  horizontal  pumps,  which 
force  the  water  through  iron  pipes  into  the  reservoir,  ninety -two 
feet  above  the  surface  of  the  river.  Within  twenty-four  hours, 
four  million  gallons  of  water  can  be  pumped  into  the  reservoirs. 
From  these  basins  the  water  is  conveyed  by  iron  pipes  into 
every  part  of  the  city.  At  certain  distances  there  are  hydrants, 
where  hoses  can  be  screwed  on  in  case  of  fire.  Generally,  one 
wheel  and  one  pump  are  worked,  the  others  are  kept  in  reserve, 
and  are  only  used  in  case  an  extra  quantity  of  water  is  needed, 
or  in  case  of  fire.  This  work  has  now  been  in  operation  for  two 
years;  it  was  designed  by  Mr.  Graff,  an  hydraulic  engineer;  the 
whole  establishment  cost  four  hundred  and  thirty-two  thousand 

VOL.  I.  18 


138 

five  hundred  and  twelve  dollars;  the  daily  expenses,  including 
two  overseers,  are  five  dollars.  The  dam  has  also  rendered  the 
upper  part  of  the  Schuylkill  navigable,  and  in  order  to  unite 
the  upper  with  the  lower  part  of  the  river,  a  canal  with  a  lock 
to  it,  has  been  opened  along  the  western  side  of  the  dam. 

A  high  square  pyramidal  tower  attracted  our  attention ;  it  is 
a  shot-tower,  one  hundred  and  sixty-six  feet  high.  The  melted 
lead,  which  is  thrown  through  a  tin  box,  whose  apertures  are 
suited  to  the  size  of  shot  wanting,  falls  from  the  whole  height 
into  water ;  while  falling  it  forms  itself  into  shot  and  becomes 
cold  as  it  falls  in  the  water.  The  different  numbers  of  shot  are 
intermixed  ;  in  order  to  separate  the  perfect  from  the  imperfect 
shot,  they  put  them  in  a  flat  basin,  and  by  a  certain  motion  in 
an  oblique  direction,  the  perfectly  round  ones  roll  down  into  a 
receiver,  whilst  the  imperfect  remain  in  the  basin.  After 
this  they  throw  the  good  shot  into  a  box  of  the  shape  of  a 
bureau,  with  rockers  like  a  cradle  ;  the  drawers  have  perforated 
tin  bottoms,  the  upper  drawer  has  the  largest  holes,  and  the 
lower  the  smallest ;  when  the  upper  drawer  is  filled  with  shot, 
it  is  locked,  and  then  the  whole  box  is  rocked  for  some  minutes. 
Through  this  the  shot  is  separated  according  to  the  size,  and  I 
believe  there  are  fourteen  different  numbers.  In  order  to  give 
the  shot  a  perfectly  smooth  surface,  they  throw  it  into  a  box 
which  is  attached  to  a  wheel  turned  by  water,  and  in  this  manner 
they  are  rolled  for  some  time.  They  are  then  packed  according 
to  their  number,  in  bags,  and  carried  into  the  warehouse. 

In  front  of  the  state  house,  whose  lower  floor  is  used  as  a 
court  room,  we  saw  a  great  assemblage  of  people ;  we  heard  it 
was  the  election  of  the  common  council.  This  state  house  is 
remarkable  in  an  historical  point  of  view,  as  being  the  place  where 
the  Declaration  of  Independence  was  signed,  on  the  4th  of  July, 
1776,  and  in  which  the  first  Congress  assembled,  until  its 
removal  to  Washington  City.  From  the  public  houses  in  the 
vicinity,  flags  were  displayed,  to  give  notice  what  political  party 
assembled  there;  hand-bills  were  sent  all  over  town  into  the 
houses,  to  invite  votes.  From  the  tenor  of  these  bills  one  might 
have  concluded  that  the  city  was  in  great  danger.  The  election, 
however,  to  our  exceeding  astonishment,  passed  over  very 
peaceably. * 

*  Here  is  one  of  the  bills. 
SIH, 

The  enclosed  Federal  Republican  Ticket,  is  earnestly  recommended  to  you 
for  your  support,  This  Day.  Our  opponents  are  active — Danger  threatens— 
Every  vote  is  important — One  may  be  decisive.  Be  therefore  on  the  alert- 
vote  early  for  your  own  convenience,  and  the  public  good.  Bring  your  friends 
to  the  poll,  and  all  will  be  well.  The  improvement  of  the  city  is  carefully 
regarded — good  order  and  tranquillity  abounds — general  prosperity  is  every 


189 

The  Bank  of  the  United  States,  which  is  situated  in  Chesnut 
street,  is  the  handsomest  building  that  I  have  yet  beheld  in  this 
country ;  it  is  built  of  white  marble,  after  the  model  of  the 
Parthenon  at  Athens;  its  entrance  is  decorated  by  eight  Doric 
columns,  and  large  broad  steps.  White  marble  is  very  common 
here ;  the  steps  of  most  houses  are  made  of  it.  The  railings 
are  generally  of  iron  with  bright  brass  knobs  ;  even  on  the 
scrapers  at  the  doors  I  observed  these  bright  brass  knobs.  The 
private  houses  are  generally  built  of  brick,  the  kitchens,  &c. 
are  commonly  in  the  cellar.  I  observed  here  a  very  good  con 
trivance,  which  I  also  remarked  in  various  cities  of  the  United 
States,  that  there  are  openings  through  the  foot-pavement,  covered 
by  a  locked  iron  grate,  which  serves  to  throw  wood,  coal,  &c.  in 
the  cellar,  so  that  they  need  not  be  carried  through  the  houses. 

I  visited  several  bookstores;  the  store  of  Messrs.  Carey,  Lea 
&  Carey  appeared  to  be  well  assorted;  Tanner's  is  the  best 
mapstore. 

The  Philadelphia  Museum  was  commenced  by  an  artist, 
CHARLES  WILLSON  PEALE,  and  was  subsequently  incorporated 
as  a  joint  stock  company.  The  most  remarkable  curiosity  it  con 
tains  is  undoubtedly  the  famous  skeleton  of  the  mastodon,  which 
has  rendered  this  museum  so  celebrated.  The  height  of  the 
shoulders  is  eleven  feet;  the  length  of  the  animal,  including  the 
stooping  of  the  back,  from  the  point  of  the  head  to  the  tail,  mea 
sures  thirty-one  feet,  but  in  a  straight  line  seventeen  and  a  half 
feet;  its  two  large  tusks  are  ten  feet  seven  inches  long;  one  of  the 
back  teeth, — for  there  are  no  front  teeth, — measures  eighteen 
and  a  half  inches  in  circumference,  and  weighs  four  pounds  ten 
ounces.  The  whole  skeleton  weighs  about  one  thousand  pounds. 
I  was  somewhat  astonished  that  the  knee  of  the  fore-foot  bends 
backwards  and  not  forwards.*  This  skeleton  was  found  in  a 
swamp  in  the  state  of  New  York,  and  there  is  a  painting  repre 
senting  the  colossal  machine  and  building,  by  which  the  skeleton 

where  apparent.     Then  secure  by  your  vote   This  Day,  a  continuance  of  the 
present  happy  state  of  thing's. 

Our  mayor  is  independent,  faithful,  and  vigilant: — Who  will  be  mayor  if 
we  fail!!!  Think  on  this  and  hesitate  no  longer,  but  vote  the  whole  of  the 
enclosed  ticket. 

(Naturalized  citizens  will  please  to  take  their  certificates  with  them.) 

Tuesday,  October  llth,  1825. 

*  [This  surprise  originated  from  the  almost  universal  mistake  of  considering1 
the  elbow  of  animals  as  a  knee.  The  anterior  extremities  of  animals  are  in  all 
respects  analogous  to  those  of  the  superior  extremities  of  man;  hence  the  se 
cond  joint  from  the  shoulder  blade  uniformly  bends  backward  like  the  human 
elbow.  It  is  not  longer  ago  than  the  year  1810,  that  the  present  Sir  Everard 
Home,  whose  pretensions  as  a  comparative  anatomist  are  well  known,  almost 
quarrelled  with  Mr.  Peale,  in  presence  of  Sir  Joseph  Banks  and  Dr.  Heavisides, 
for  insisting  upon  the  similarity  of  the  anterior  limbs  of  animals  to  the  human 
arm!] — TRANS. 


140 

was  removed  from  the  swamp.  For  the  sake  of  contrast,  they 
have  put  the  skeleton  of  an  elephant  next  the  mastodon.  Under 
its  foot  is  the  skeleton  of  a  mouse. 

The  academy  of  fine  arts  is  a  collection  of  paintings  and  statues. 
The  best  works  which  we  saw  belong  to  Count  Survilliers. 
Among  these  was  the  count's  own  portrait,  robed  as  king  of 
Spain,  the  portrait  of  his  lady,  and  his  two  daughters,  while  yet 
children,  all  painted  by  Gerard  of  Paris.  There  were  four  busts, 
one  of  Madame  Mere,  the  queen  of  Naples,  Madame  Murat,  the 
princess  Borghese,  and  the  empress  Marie  Louise ;  and  last  of 
all  a  statue,  representing  the  infant  king  of  Rome,  all  by  Canova. 
Amongst  other  paintings  I  observed  several  from  the  Flemish 
school,  very  few  Italian,  but  some  very  fine  pieces  by  Granet, 
which  represented  the  interior  of  an  Italian  cloister.  Two  large 
paintings,  one  representing  the  children  of  Niobe  by  Rehberg, 
and  the  other  the  raising  from  the  dead  by  touching  the  bones  of 
the  prophet  Elisha,  by  the  American  painter  Allston;  both  have 
merit,  but  I  was  neither  pleased  with  the  colouring  nor  execu 
tion.  The  statues  are  mostly  casts,  copies  of  the  most  famous 
antiquities.  I  observed,  however,  amongst  them,  the  Venus  of 
Canova. 

In  wandering  through  the  streets  I  was  struck  with  a  building- 
having  a  dome  similar  to  the  Roman  pantheon;  it  was  a  Baptist 
chapel.  I  accordingly  entered;  the  interior  arrangement  was 
very  simple,  and  offered  nothing  remarkable.  In  the  midst  of 
the  chapel  is  the  baptismal  font  for  baptising  grown  persons ;  it 
is  a  marble  bath,  something  in  the  manner  of  the  bath  in  the 
palace  of  Weimar.  While  speaking  on  this  subject,  I  will  notice 
the  various  sects  that  have  churches  in  this  city.  1st,  Catholics; 
2d,  Protestant  Episcopal;  3d,  Presbyterian;  4th,  Scotch  Presby 
terian;  5th,  Covenanters,  or  Reformed  Presbyterians;  6th,  Bap 
tist;  7th,  the  Methodist;  most  of  the  coloured  people  belong  to 
the  latter  sect;  8th,  the  Friends  or  Quakers;  9th,  the  Free 
Quakers;  10th,  German  Lutheran;  llth,  German  Reformed; 
12th,  Dutch  Reformed;  13th,  Universalists ;  14th,  Sweden- 
borgians;  15th,  Moravians,  or  United  Brethren;  16th,  Swedish 
Lutheran;  17th,  Mount  Zion;  18th,  Menonists;  19th,  Bible 
Christians;  20th,  Mariners  Church;  21st,  Unitarians;  and  22d, 
Israelites;  and  all  these  sects  live  peaceably  in  the  vicinity  of 
each  other. 

A  merchant,  Mr.  Halbach,  to  whom  I  was  introduced,  took  a 
walk  with  me  to  two  gardens  adjoining  the  city.  One  of  these 
belongs  to  a  rich  merchant,  Mr.  Pratt,  and  is  situated  upon  a 
rocky  peninsula,  formed  by  the  Schuylldll,  immediately  above 
the  water-works.  The  soil  consists  mostly  of  quartz  and  clay. 
The  owner  seldom  comes  there,  and  this  is  easy  to  be  perceived, 


141 

for  instead  of  handsome  grass-plots  you  see  potatoes,  and  turnips 
planted  in  the  garden.  The  trees,  however,  are  very  handsome, 
mostly  chesnut,  and  some  hickory.  I  also  observed  particularly 
two  large  and  strong  tulip  trees;  the  circumference  of  one  was 
fifteen  feet.  In  the  hot-houses  was  a  fine  collection  of  orange 
trees,  and  a  handsome  collection  of  exotic  plants,  some  of  the  or 
der  Euphorbia  from  South  America;  also  a  few  palm  trees.  The 
gardener,  an  Englishman  by  birth,  seemed  to  be  well  acquainted 
with  his  plants.  Through  a  hydraulic  machine  the  water  is 
brought  up  from  the  river  into  several  basins,  and  thence  forced 
into  the  hot-houses.  There  was  also  in  the  garden  a  mineral 
spring  of  a  ferruginous  quality.  From  several  spots  in  the  garden 
there  are  fine  views  of  the  Schuylkill,  whose  banks,  covered  with 
trees,  now  in  the  fall  of  the  year,  have  a  striking  and  pleasant 
effect  from  the  various  hues  of  the  foliage.  The  other  garden, 
called  Woodlands,  belonged  to  the  Hamilton  family.  The  road 
led  us  through  the  village  of  Mantua,  which  altogether  consists 
of  country-seats,  and  where  Mr.  Halbach  also  has  his  country 
residence.  Woodlands  has  more  the  appearance  of  an  English 
park  than  Mr.  Pratt's  country-seat ;  the  dwelling  house  is  large, 
and  provided  with  two  balconies,  from  both  of  which  there 
is  a  very  fine  view,  especially  of  the  Schuylkill  and  floating 
bridge.  Inside  of  the  dwelling  there  is  a  handsome  collection  of 
pictures ;  several  of  them  are  of  the  Dutch  school.  What  parti 
cularly  struck  me  was  a  female  figure,  in  entire  dishabelle,  lay 
ing  on  her  back,  with  half-lifted  eyes  expressive  of  exquisite 
pleasure.  There  were  also  orange  trees  and  hot-houses,  superin 
tended  by  a  French  gardener. 

The  navy-yard,  which  I  visited  with  Mr.  Tromp,  was  shown 
us  by  a  lieutenant  of  the  navy  and  major  Miller  of  the  marines; 
at  the  same  time  I  became  acquainted  with  the  naval  architect, 
Mr.  Humphreys,  who  is  considered  one  of  the  most  skilful  in 
his  department  in  the  United  States.  Three  years  ago  he  visited 
England  and  its  dock-yards  by  order  of  the  government.  This 
navy-yard  is  not  very  large,  for  although  ships  are  built  here, 
yet  they  do  not  leave  the  yard  perfectly  equipped,  as  the  Dela 
ware  is  too  shallow  for  completely  armed  ships  of  the  line.  On 
the  stocks  there  was  a  ship  of  the  line  and  a  frigate  yet  incom 
plete,  which,  however,  could  be  made  ready  for  sea  in  a  short 
time.  The  former  is  to  carry  one  hundred  and  forty  guns,  and 
is  said  to  be  the  largest  vessel  ever  built.  The  frigate  was  of  sixty- 
four  guns.  Each  vessel  had  an  elliptic  stern,  and  was  under 
cover.  The  house  which  covered  the  ship  of  the  line  is  so  large 
that  I  counted  on  one  side  one  hundred  and  forty  windows.  Be 
tween  the  two  houses  the  keel  of  a  sloop  of  war  is  to  be  laid.* 

*  [The  Vamlalia,  recently  launched.] — TRANS. 


142 

There  was  uo  man-of-war  here  in  actual  service,  but  a  small 
steam-bri^  in  ordinary,  called  the  Sea  Gull,  which  had  returned 
a  few  months  ago  from  the  West  Indies,  where  she  had  been 
cruising  after  the  pirates;  she  was  now  condemned  as  unseawor- 
thy,  and  used  as  a  receiving  ship.  Philadelphia  is  inhabited  by 
many  Germans  and  descendents  of  Germans;  some  respectable 
people  among  them  have  formed  themselves  into  a  German  so 
ciety,  which  has  rendered  great  services,  particularly  to  the  un 
fortunate  Germans  who  arrived  here  some  years  ago  in  great 
numbers.  When  those  gentlemen  heard  of  my  arrival,  they  in 
vited  me  to  a  dinner,  given  in  honour  of  me.  It  took  place  on 
the  15th  October,  in  the  Masonic  Hall,  a  large  building,  erected 
by  the  freemasons  of  this  place,  whose  basement  story  contains  a 
very  handsome  hall,  which  serves  for  public  entertainments.  The 
table  was  set  for  seventy  persons;  every  thing  was  splendid. 

Before  dinner  I  was  introduced  to  all  the  guests  present ;  the 
descendants  of  Germans  had  almost  forgotten  their  mother  tongue ; 
some  of  them  were  lawyers,  some  merchants,  and  some  mechanics. 
At  the  dessert,  several  toasts  were  drank  in  honour  of  America 
and  Germany,  and  also  in  honour  of  me ;  I  of  course  thanked 
them  in  a  short  speech.  Our  waiters  were  blacks;  even  the  music 
was  performed  by  blacks,  because  white  musicians  will  never 
perform  at  public  entertainments.  After  every  toast  the  music 
struck  up;  but  our  virtuosi  were  only  acquainted  with  two  Ger 
man  pieces.  After  drinking  my  health,  they  played  "  a  dish 
and  a  song,"  &c.;  and  after  the  toast  was  given  of  "the  German 
Athens,"  they  played  "Oh  thou  dear  Augustin,"  &c.  After  the 
regular  toasts  by  the  president,  Mr.  Wampole,  were  finished, 
volunteer  toasts  were  drank,  ad  infinitum.  I  soon  retired  to  call 
upon  Mr.  Walsh,  to  whom  I  was  introduced  by  letter. 

At  Mr.  Walsh's  I  found  a  numerous  assembly,  mostly  of  sci 
entific  and  literary  gentlemen.  This  assembly  is  called  "  WISTAR 
PARTY;"  it  is  a  small  learned  circle  which  owes  its  existence 
to  a  Quaker  physician,  Dr.  Wistar,  who  assembled  all  the  literati 
and  public  characters  of  Philadelphia  at  his  house,  every  Saturday 
evening,  where  all  well-recommended  foreigners  were  introduced. 
After  his  death,  the  society  was  continued  by  his  friends,  under 
the  above  title,  with  this  difference,  that  they  now  assemble  alter 
nately  at  the  houses  of  the  members.  The  conversation  gene 
rally  relates  to  literary  and  scientific  topics.  I  unexpectedly 
met  Mr.  E.  Livingston  in  this  assembly;  I  was  also  introduced 
to  the  mayor  of  the  city,  Mr.  Watson,  as  well  as  most  of  the  gen 
tlemen  present,  whose  interesting  conversation  afforded  me  much 
entertainment. 

Mr.  Shoemaker  accompanied  us  to  a  Quaker  meeting.  The 
Quakers,  as  is  well  known,  have  no  parsons,  but  sit  quietly  as- 


143 

sembled  until  the  spirit  moves  some  one.  The  individual  thus 
excited,  then  preaches,  ad  libitum,  whether  male  or  female.  The 
meeting  was  very  quiet  when  we  entered,  and  remained  quiet 
for  more  than  an  hour;  the  spirit  moved  no  one;  at  last  this  fa 
tiguing  sitting  terminated,  and  we  went  home  unedified.  The 
church,  or  rather  the  meeting-house,  is  very  simple,  without  the 
least  ornament;  the  whole  hall  is  filled  with  benches,  and  on  an 
elevated  form  sit  the  elders  of  both  sexes,  with  those  who  are  in 
the  habit  of  preaching. 

A  Quaker,  Mr.  Vaux,  is  at  the  head  of  several  public  institu 
tions  in  Philadelphia.  I  was  introduced  to  him  by  Mr.  Eddy: 
he  received  me  kindly,  although  using  the  appellation  "Mow,"' 
and  promised  to  show  me  these  institutions.  The  first  objects 
we  saw  in  his  house,  were  paintings  and  copperplates  referring 
to  the  first  settlement  of  the  Quakers  in  this  state,  and  a  model  of 
a  monument  which  is  intended  to  be  erected  to  the  memory  of 
William  Penn.  The  model  represented  an  obelisk,  and  was  made 
of  part  of  the  elm  tree  under  which  this  great  benefactor  of  man 
kind  concluded  his  treaty  with  the  Indians,  t  After  that  we  drove 
to  the  new  penitentiary,  a  prison  which  was  built  near  the  water 
works. 

Efforts  have  been  made  to  abolish  capital  punishment  in  Penn 
sylvania,  and  to  substitute  solitary  confinement,  which  hitherto 
has  only  been  occasionally  resorted  to  in  the  prisons,  for  offences 
committed  there;  it  is  even  intended  to  inflict  this  punishment  for 
life.  It  is  also  wished  to  separate  prisoners  condemned  to  hard 
labour,  to  give  them  their  tasks  in  separate  cells.  For  this 
purpose,  a  large  square  yard  has  been  walled  in,  each  side  of 
which  is  six  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long.  This  yard  has  but  one 
entrance,  over  which  is  erected  a  Gothic  building,  to  accommo 
date  the  officers,  offices,  watchrooms,  and  hospital  wards.  The 
portal  has  very  much  the  appearance  and  strength  of  the  gate  of 
a  fortification.  In  the  middle  of  this  yard  is  a  round  tower,  which 
is  intended  for  the  watchmen,  and  from  this  central  point,  six 
wings  run  in  an  eccentric  direction,  containing  the  cells.  Each 
wing  consists  of  a  vaulted  corridor,  which  runs  from  one  end  of 
the  wing  to  the  other;  on  both  sides  of  each  of  the  six  corridors 
are  nineteen  cells,  whose  entrance  is  from  the  outside.  There  is 
an  opening  in  every  cell,  leading  into  the  vaulted  corridor,  merely 
large  enough  to  admit  provisions;  this  aperture  has  a  small  iron 
door  attached  to  it,  only  to  be  opened  from  the  corridor.  To 
every  cell  there  is  a  yard,  sixteen  feet  long  and  seven  feet  broad, 

*  ["  Thou,"  in  German,  is  only  used  in  addressing  individuals  of  the  lowest 
degree.] — TRANS. 

f  This  took  place  on  the  banks  of  the  Delaware,  in  Kensington,  near  Phila 
delphia.  The  elm  tree  was  struck  by  lightning,  a  few  years  ago  and  destroyed. 


144 

surrounded  by  a  wall  twenty  feet  high:  in  this  yard  leading  to 
the  cell,  the  prisoner  has  the  liberty  of  walking,  provided  the 
prisoners  in  the  next  cells  are  locked  up.  The  cell  itself  is  eight 
feet  long  and  five  feet  broad,  its  entrance  is  low  and  small,  and 
secured  by  a  door  and  grate.  The  floor  of  the  cell  is  of  boards, 
the  roof  an  arch  which  inclines  outwardly,  that  the  rain  may  run 
from  it:  a  patent  glass  gives  light  to  the  prisoner.  There  are 
small  apertures  in  the  walls,  in  order  to  admit  a  current  of  air, 
and  others  to  admit  heated  air  during  winter.  Every  cell  has  a 
water-closet,  which  is  connected  with  the  principal  pipe,  under 
the  corridor,  throughout  all  the  length  of  the  wings.  They  are 
not  yet  quite  decided  in  what  manner  the  prisoner  is  to  sleep, 
whether  in  a  bedstead  or  on  a  hammock. 

I  do  not  now  wish  to  enter  upon  the  question  whether  it  is  ad 
visable  to  abolish  capital  punishment  altogether  or  not,  but  I 
maintain  that  this  solitary  confinement,  in  which  the  prisoner  is 
prohibited  from  all  human  converse,  without  work,  exercise,  and 
almost  without  fresh  air,  is  even  worse  than  punishment  by  death. 
From  want  of  exercise  they  will  certainly  become  sickly ;  from 
the  want  of  work  they  will  become  unaccustomed  to  labour,  and 
perhaps  lose  what  skill  they  may  have  possessed  heretofore  in 
their  trades,  so  that  when  restored  to  the  world,  they  will  be 
useless  for  any  kind  of  business,  and  merely  drag  out  a  miserable 
existence.  No  book  is  allowed  them  but  the  bible.  It  appears 
therefore  to  me  perfectly  possible,  that  this  insulation  of  the 
prisoner  will  be  injurious  to  his  mind,  and  drive  him  to  fana 
ticism,  enthusiasm,  and  even  derangement.  When  Mr.  Vaux 
asked  my  opinion  of  this  prison,  I  could  not  refrain  from  answer 
ing  him  that  it  reminded  me  of  the  Spanish  inquisition,  as  de 
scribed  by  Llorente.  Mr.  Vaux  answered  that  it  is  only  an 
experiment  to  ascertain  whether  capital  punishment  can  be  abo 
lished;  but  notwithstanding  this  philanthropic  view,  the  experi 
ment  appears  to  me  to  be  an  expensive  one,  because  the  building 
has  already  cost  three  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars,  and  the 
state  of  Pennsylvania  will  have  to  expend  annually  for  its  sup 
port,  an  immense  sum.  The  first  great  object  of  a  govern 
ment  ought  to  be  to  provide  for  the  welfare  of  its  good  citizens, 
and  not  to  oppress  them  with  taxes;  on  the  contrary,  to  relieve 
them  as  much  as  possible,  as  it  is  hard  for  the  good  citizens  to 
have  to  maintain  vagabonds,  for  the  sake  of  deterring  others  by 
example,  or  to  render  convicts  harmless.  In  this  view  it  should 
be  the  object  of  the  government  to  arrange  the  prisons  so  that 
convicts  can  maintain  themselves.  When  once  this  is  realized, 
then  it  is  likewise  easier  to  improve  their  moral  principles.  Con 
tinued  employment  would  answer  both  purposes.  If  it  be  possi 
ble  that  the  prisoner  can  earn  a  little  surplus  money,  in  order 


145 

that  when  he  returns  to  society  he  may  be  in  possession  of  a 
small  sum  for  his  pressing  necessities,  I  believe  it  would  be  much 
better  than  any  philanthropic  experiment* 

The  county  jail  contains  prisoners  who  are  waiting  for  trial; 
they  are,  however,  seldom  confined  longer  than  one  month 
before  they  receive  sentence.  The  house  consists  of  a  principal 
building  and  two  wings;  the  one  for  males,  the  other  for  females. 
In  the  centre  building  are  the  offices,  dwellings  of  the  keepers 
and  watch,  as  well  as  the  infirmary,  where  the  patients  have  good 
bedding,  and  are  carefully  nursed.  .  In  the  wings  are  long  corri 
dors,  with  rooms  on  each  side,  which  are  closed  during  the  night 
with  iron  doors.  About  eight  prisoners  sleep  in  one  room,  they 
sleep  on  the  floor,  and  have  only  two  blankets,  to  sleep  upon  and 
cover  themselves.  The  floor  is  of  boards,  and  I  was  delighted 
at  the  great  cleanliness  prevailing  through  the  whole  house.  At 
the  end  of  each  wing  is  a  yard  where  the  prisoners  walk,  and  in 
each  yard  there  is  a  shed  under  which  they  work.  The  men  I 
found  busy  pulling  horse-hair,  and  most  of  the  females  at  their 
usual  domestic  occupations.  Even  here  we  perceived  the  great 
distinction  between  the  white  and  coloured  races. 

The  number  of  female  prisoners  of  both  colours  was  nearly 
equal,  and  the  coloured  were  not  permitted  to  sit  on  the  same  bench 
with  the  white ;  the  coloured  were  separated  to  the  left !  I  procured 
a  sight  of  the  register,  and  was  astonished  to  see  that  in  this  free 
country  a  magistrate  has  the  right  to  imprison  a  person  for  two 
days,  for  cursing  in  the  streets,  as  I  found  in  the  book.  There 
are  also  in  the  county  jail  several  cells  for  solitary  confinement, 
narrow  dark  holes,  in  which  it  must  be  insupportably  hot  during 
the  summer.  Those  who  are  of  savage  behaviour  are  confined  in 
these  cells,  and  kept  there  till  they  become  civil. 

Of  the  charitable  institutions,  we  visited  first,  the  Orphan  Asy 
lum,  and  then  the  hospital  for  widows,  which  stand  near  each  other. 
They  owe  their  origin  to  the  donation  of  a  lady,  which  has  been  in 
creased  by  voluntary  contributions,  and  is  now  under  the  direc 
tion  of  a  board  of  ladies,  mostly  Friends,  who  are  aided  by  the  ad 
vice  of  a  few  select  gentlemen.  In  the  Orphan  Asylum  were 
ninety  children  of  both  sexes,  who  remain  till  they  are  twelve 
years  of  age,  and  are  then  bound  out  to  learn  a  trade.  They  are 
educated  in  the  same  way  as  the  orphans  at  New  York.  During 
the  hours  of  recess,  the  children  run  about  in  a  garden ;  the  house 
is  very  cleanly,  the  bed-rooms  are  spacious,  and  each  contain 
twenty  beds;  nevertheless,  two  children  have  to  sleep  in  one  bed. 

*  [Both  sides  of  this  question  are  warmly  and  ably  defended  by  philanthro 
pists  of  high  character  and  unquestionable  benevolence.     The  reader  will  find 
in  the  late  correspondence  between  ROSCOE  and  Mr.  Roberts  Vaux,  of  Philadel 
phia,  the  arguments  urged  for  and  against  the  system.] — TRASS. 
VOL.  I.  19 


146 

Some  years  ago,  the  house  caught  fire,  and  the  conflagration 
was  so  rapid  that  more  than  thirty  children  perished  in  the  flames. 
In  rebuilding  the  house,  they  had  the  praiseworthy  consideration 
to  banish  wood  entirely  from  the  building,  and  even  the  stairs 
are  of  stone.  The  Widow's  Asylum  is  tenanted  by  helpless 
widows,  over  which  the  above-mentioned  board  also  have  control. 
They  are  boarded,  clothed,  and  nursed  as  long  as  they  live.  The 
rooms  are  occupied  by  one  or  two  persons  each,  and  there  is  a 
common  sitting  and  eating  room.  In  this  establishment  great 
cleanliness  is  also  observable. 

The  large  and  celebrated  hospital  of  Philadelphia  was  esta 
blished  by  the  Quakers,  and  is  under  their  direction.  It  owes 
its  origin  to  voluntary  contributions  and  posthumous  donations. 
It  is  surrounded  by  a  garden,  and  consists  of  a  main  building 
with  two  wings,  besides  other  separate  buildings,  one  of  which 
is  used  for  incurable  lunatics,  another  for  venereal  patients,  and 
others  for  household  purposes  and  stables;  for  they  here  keep 
carriages,  in  which  the  convalescents  ride  when  it  is  allowed. 
Behind  the  principal  building  is  a  kitchen  garden,  with  a  hot-house 
that  contains  many  exotic  plants.  A  particular  building  has  been 
erected  for  the  painting  of  Sir  Benjamin  West,  who  was  a  native  of 
Philadelphia,  and  presented  it  to  the  hospital.  The  subject  of  the 
painting  is  Christ  healing  the  sick.  Neither  the  composition  nor 
the  execution  of  this  painting  appear  to  me  to  be  successful;  and 
perhaps  it  is  only  here,  where  they  are  unaccustomed  to  see 
great  and  well  -executed  paintings,  that  this  could  excite  such 
astonishing  admiration  as  it  has  done.*  It  is  really  singular  that 
near  this  painting,  which  certainly  has  some  merit,  they  should 
hang  a  little  picture,  accidentally  discovered  in  the  city,  which 
was  daubed  as  a  first  essay  by  the  same  artist,  when  young. 

The  hospital  is  three  stories  high ;  in  the  lower  story  are  the 
offices,  the  apothecary,  the  rooms  of  two  physicians,  one  of 
whom  must  always  be  in  the  house,  and  the  library,  which  con 
tains  a  very  handsome  collection  of  books  on  medicine  and  na 
tural  history.  As  a  sort  of  antiquity,  they  show  here  William 
Penn's  arm-chair;  a  leaden  statue,  made  in  England,  of  this  emi 
nent  man,  of  full  size  and  in  the  Quaker  dress,  stands  in  the 
square  in  front  of  the  house.  Corridors  run  through  both  wings, 
and  thence  you  enter  the  rooms,  each  containing  twelve  patients; 
they  are  under  the  care  of  female  nurses,  and  lay  on  wooden  bed 
steads;  only  the  maniacs  have  them  of  iron.  Throughout  this 

*  [Perhaps,  had  his  highness  known  that  this  picture  was  long  exhibited  and 
admired  m  London  by  amateurs  and  artists,  who  certainly  are  somewhat  accus 
tom  I  to  seeing  good  pictures,  he  would  not  have  pronounced  so  decidedly 
from  a  very  cursory  examination.  There  is  nothing,  however,  which  the  Duke 
a-Weimw  says  concerning  the  fine  arts,  in  these  travels,  to  entitle  his 
opinion  on  paintings  to  any  authority.]—  TftAjfs. 


147 

house  extraordinary  cleanliness  is  observed.  To  the  melancholy, 
every  species  of  employment  is  permitted,  provided  it  does  not 
interfere  with  their  own  safety  or  that  of  other  patients.  Some 
worked  in  the  garden,  two  were  occupied  as  cabinet-makers,  and 
a  lock-maker  from  Darmstadt  was  engaged  two  years  in  making  a 
musket,  for  which  he  has  prepared  a  colossal  lock  of  wire  and  tin. 

When  I  returned  from  this  remarkable  institution,  I  received 
a  visit  from  a  literary  gentleman  from  Leipzic,  Mr.  Rivinus. 
This  young  man  had  already  been  two  years  in  this  city,  collect 
ing  observations  on  America,  to  make  known  in  Germany.  I 
was  much  interested  by  him.  He  appeared  to  me  well  suited  to 
gather  information  concerning  the  new  world  and  to  present  it  to 
the  old;  perhaps  he  may  contribute  to  make  German  literature 
known  to  the  Americans. 

Mr.  Vaux  had  the  politeness  to  accompany  me  to  some  literary 
institutions.  We  went  first  to  the  Franklin  Library;  this  collec 
tion,  which  amounts  to  thirty  thousand  volumes,  was  established 
by  voluntary  subscriptions,  and  is  supported  by  the  same  means. 
The  subscribers  have  the  right  to  take  books  home  with  them; 
the  library  contains  likewise  a  large  collection  of  copperplates, 
and  amongst  others  a  handsome  edition  of  Hogarth's  prints.  The 
library  is  arranged  in  two  great  halls,  and  as  a  curiosity  they 
show  Dr.  Franklin's  library  chair.  The  statue  of  this  famous 
man  stands  in  a  niche  over  the  entrance  of  the  house,  and  was 
presented,  as  the  inscription  says,  by  Mr.  Bingham,  the  merito 
rious  father  of  Mr.  Bingham  of  Montreal.  After  that  we  went 
to  the  Philosophical  Society,  which  also  owns  a  building,  and 
possesses  a  rich  library  and  cabinet.*  The  librarian,  Mr.  John 
Vaughan,  a  venerable  gentleman,  equally  esteemed  for  his  bene 
volence  and  urbanity,  performed  the  honours.  He  showed  us 
the  handwriting  of  several  celebrated  individuals  of  the  revolu 
tion.  The  cabinet  contains,  amongst  other  things,  a  mineralogical 
cabinet,  a  collection  of  shells,  &c.  Finally,  we  went  to  the  State 
House,  and  saw  the  plain  and  not  very  large  hall  in  which  the 
Declaration  of  Independence  was  signed  on  the  4th  of  July,  1776. 
This  hall  is  decorated  with  a  wooden  statue,  the  size  of  life  of 
President  WASHINGTON;  on  the  pedestal  is  the  following  in 
scription  :  "  First  in  war,  first  in  peace,  first  in  the  hearts  of  his 
countrymen." 

*  [The  library  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society  is  one  of  the  most 
valuable  collections  in  the  United  States,  and  is  richer  in  the  Transactions  of 
other  learned  societies  than  any  in  our  country.  The  Duke  states  in  the  original 
that  books  are  not  lent  from  this  library,  which  is  so  erroneous  that  we  have  not 
repeated  it  in  the  translation.  Members  of  the  society  enjoy  a  free  use  of  the 
books,  and  literary  men  properly  recommended  are  always  able  to  obtain  ad 
vantageous  access  to  the  library.] — TRANS. 


148 

On  the  18th  of  October,  I  travelled  in  the  stage  to  Beth 
Ichem,  a  place  settled  in  the  year  1741,  by  the  evangelical  con 
gregation  of  Moravians.  It  was  impossible  to  me  to  leave  the 
state  of  Pennsylvania  without  first  visiting  this  society,  which  is 
highly  esteemed  here  on  account  of  their  usefulness,  morals,  &c. 
Mr.  Vaux  gave  me  a  recommendatory  letter. 

Bethlehem  is  fifty-two  miles  from  Philadelphia;  as  the  inter 
course  between  both  places  is  not  very  great,  the  stage  goes  but 
twice  a  week  from  each  place.  Day  had  not  dawned  when  I  left 
Philadelphia;  the  stage  was  very  full,  and  the  weather  was  un 
commonly  cold.  As  stage  companions,  I  became  acquainted  with 
two  Messrs.  Rice,  members  of  the  Moravian  Society,  and  in 
habitants  of  Bethlehem,  and  found  them  very  amiable,  sensible, 
and  well-informed  men.  One  of  them  had  travelled  in  Germany, 
and  both  spoke  very  good  German.  We  changed  horses  twice, 
and  also  the  stage,  which  unfortunately  was  worse  at  each  change, 
the  first  time  at  Whitemarsh,  and  the  second  at  Quakertown;  the 
road  was  mostly  turnpike,  and  somewhat  resembled  our  German 
roads,  except  that  the  stones  thrown  on  the  road  were  rather  too 
large,  and  the  path  was  not  well  filled  up.  After  having  changed 
horses  the  second  time,  we  went  on  a  lately  made  turnpike,  the 
stones  not  having  been  travelled  on.  The  latter  part  of  the  road 
was  not  yet  turnpiked,  and  resembled  a  rocky  bye-road,  but,  on 
account  of  the  dry  season,  was  the  most  comfortable.  The  agri 
culture  of  this  region  shows  that  the  country  has  already  been 
long  under  cultivation.  The  houses  are  mostly  strong,  built  of 
blue  limestone,  and  covered  with  shingles.  There  has  been  con 
siderable  expense  bestowed  on  the  barns,  most  of  them  have  the 
appearance  of  churches.  The  fields  and  meadows  were  fenced, 
mostly  with  zigzag,  commonly  called  worm-fences.  '  Corn  was 
still  standing  on  the  fields,  but  they  had  begun  to  gather  it.  The 
winter  grain  had  already  sprouted,  and  had  a  pleasing  appearance. 
The  trade  in  wheat  flour  is  carried  on  very  largely  in  Pennsyl 
vania;  this  flour  has  very  justly  obtained  a  good  reputation,  and 
is  much  sought  for  in  the  West  Indies;  no  where,  not  even  ex 
cepting  Europe,  have  I  eaten  as  good  bread  as  in  this  state.  The 
original  forests  have  been  eradicated,  and  you  see  very  few  old 
and  handsome  trees  as  in  the  state  of  New  York;  the  wood,  how 
ever,  has  grown  again,  and  consists  mostly  of  large-leafed  oaks, 
chesnut,  walnut,  and  hickory  trees;  the  soil  is  partly  limestone, 
and  partly  clay.  In  the  neighbourhood  of  Bethlehem,  the  soil 
is  mostly  limestone;  there  are  a  great  many  rocks,  and  you  ob 
serve  here  the  earth  often  crumbled,  as  is  the  case  in  calcarioue 
mountains.  The  inhabitants  are  mostly  descendants  of  Germans, 
emigrants  from  Wirtemberg,  who  still  retain  their  language,  al 
though  in  an  imperfect  state.  They  print  here  for  the  country 


149 

people,  newspapers  and  sheet  almanacs,  in  American  German, 
The  difference  is  already  perceptible  in  the  state  of  Pennsyl 
vania  which  exists  between  the  southern  and  northern  states  in 
the  education  of  the  lower  classes:  it  is  said  to  be  still  more 
striking  in  the  southern  states.  They  particularly  complain  that 
the  former  German  farmers  did  not  send  their  children  to  school 
at  all;  lately,  however,  they  have  become  more  ambitious,  and 
attend  the  schools,  because  the  legislature  of  Pennsylvania  has 
passed  a  law,  that  no  citizen  shall  sit  on  a  jury  unless  he  can  read 
and  write  the  English  language.  The  German  farmers  consider 
it  an  honour  to  be  called  upon  a  jury,  but  find  themselves  de 
prived  of  that  honour  on  account  of  their  ignorance.  They  now, 
therefore,  have  their  sons  instructed  in  English.  I  saw  in  the 
woods  two  small  octagonal  houses,  and  was  informed  that  they 
were  schools,  which,  however,  were  never  frequented. 

In  many  villages  where  you  see  handsome  brick  buildings, 
stables,  and  barns,  the  school  is  a  simple  log-house,  much  worse 
than  the  school-houses  I  have  seen  among  the  Indians.  There  is 
no  want  of  churches,  mostly  Lutheran,  some  Calvinist,  Quaker 
meeting-houses,  Anabaptists,  and  Menonists.  Between  Quaker- 
town  and  Bethlehem,  the  former  called  so  on  account  of  its  hav 
ing  been  originally  settled  by  that  sect,  but  now  inhabited  mostly 
by  Germans,  there  is  a  parish  of  Swiss  Menonists,  which  they  call 
here  Dunkards,  because  the  men  let  their  beards  grow.  As  we 
passed  through,  there  happened  to  be  the  funeral  of  a  young  girl, 
and  almost  the  whole  congregation  followed  the  coffin.  Between 
four  and  five  o'clock,  P.  M.  we  reached  Bethlehem,  and  staid  in 
Bishop's  tavern,  which  was  very-  cleanly,  and  well  managed. 

Bethlehem  is  very  handsomely  situated,  partly  in  a  valley,  and 
partly  on  a  hill  near  the  river  Lehigh,  into  which  empties  the  Ma- 
nokesy  brook.  Very  near  the  town  there  is  a  wooden  bridge 
over  the  river,  which  was  built  in  the  year  1791,  and  rests  upon 
three  stone  pillars,  and  over  the  brook  there  is  a  newly-built  stone 
bridge  of  two  arches.  The  moment  you  behold  Bethlehem,  you 
are  pleased  with  it:  opposite  the  town,  on  the  right  bank  of  the 
Lehigh,  are  rather  high  mountains,  overgrown  with  wood.  The 
brick  houses  of  the  town  are  situated  amphitheatrically ;  above  all 
the  houses,  you  see  the  church  with  a  small  steeple,  and  the 
whole  is  crowned  by  the  burying-place,  which  lies  upon  a  hill, 
and  is  planted  with  lombardy  poplars.  The  fields  around  the 
town  are  excellently  cultivated,  and  the  landscape  is  bounded  by 
the  Blue  Mountains,  eighteen  miles  distant,  a  long  range  of 
mountains  with  no  one  distinct  summit,  but  with  some  openings 
through.  The  streets  in  Bethlehem  are  not  paved,  but  planted 
with  poplars,  and  provided  with  broad  brick  side- walks;  the 
houses  arc  built  either  of  blue  limestone  or  of  brick.  The  greatest 


150 

building  in  this  town,  which  formerly  served  as  the  house  for  the 
brethren,  is  now  occupied  as  a  young  ladies  boarding-school. 
There  is  also  here  an  arched  market-place,  where  butcher's  meat 
is  sold.  On  the  place  where  Bishop's  tavern  now  stands,  not  long 
ago  stood  a  little  frame  building,  which  was  built  at  the  time 
Bethlehem  was  founded  by  Count  Zinzendorf.  The  town  has 
about  seven  hundred  inhabitants,  mostly  tradesmen  and  mer 
chants.  The  clergy  consists  of  Bishop  Huffel  and  the  two  preach 
ers,  Messrs.  Seidel  and  Von  Schweinitz;  the  latter  is  the  great 
grandson  of  Count  Zinzendorf,  he  was  just  absent  on  a  voyage  to 
Germany,  where  he  met  the  general  synod  in  Herrenhut. 

One  of  the  Messrs.  Rice  introduced  me  into  the  tavern,  and 
gave  notice  to  the  clergy  of  my  arrival;  shortly  after,  I  received 
a  visit  from  Mr.  Seidel,  a  Saxon  by  birth,  who  has  resided  nine 
teen  years  in  the  United  States.  I  found  him  a  very  friendly  and 
pleasant  gentleman,  and  had  a  long  conversation  with  him.  I 
also  met  with  an  old  man  from  Eisenach,  by  the  name  of  Stickel, 
who  came  to  this  country  as  a  surgeon  with  the  Hessians,  and 
for  some  years  past  had  taken  up  his  residence  in  this  tavern, 
where  he  acts  as  cicerone  to  the  strangers. 

Next  morning  I  •  received  another  visit  from  parson  Seidel, 
and  went  with  him  to  Bishop  Hufiel  ;  the  bishop  is  a  man  of 
about  sixty  years  of  age,  also  a  Saxon,  and  a  very  friendly  man, 
who  has  travelled  much  and  speaks  pleasantly.  He  had  a  very 
handsome  collection  of  minerals,  particularly  of  American  mar 
bles  ;  Mr.  Seidel  resides  with  him  in  the  oldest  dwelling  of  the 
town,  which  has  quite  the  appearance  of  the  house  of  a  country 
parson  in  Germany,  and  has  even  German  locks  and  bolts  to  it ; 
in  this  house  is  a  large  hall,  which  formerly  served  the  parish  as 
a  church  until  the  church  was  finished.  I  visited  the  church, 
escorted  by  the  two  divines  ;  the  arrangements  are  quite  simple, 
a  white  hall  with  benches,  and  a  somewhat  higher  seat  for  the 
olergy,  with  a  table  before  it;  the  church  has  a  very  fine  organ, 
which  was  made  at  New  York.  The  bishop,  who  is  a  good 
performer  on  the  piano,  had  the  goodness  to  play  for  me  on  the 
organ.  From  the  steeple  of  the  church  is  a  handsome  prospect 
of  the  surrounding  neighbourhood,  the  Lehigh,  the  mountains 
of  the  same  name,  and  the  Blue  Mountains.  In  the  church  build- 
in  gt  next  to  the  large  hall,  are  several  chambers,  where  they 
formerly  kept  school,  before  the  new  school  was  built,  but  now 
the  elders  hold  their  conferences  in  it,  and  the  smaller  meetings 
of  the  parish.  By  building  this  new  church,  the  parish  incurred 
a  debt ;  the  building,  however,  is  not  very  tasty.  The  burying 
place  of  the  congregation  is  upon  a  small  hill,  and  resembles  a 
garden  planted  with  trees.  The  graves  are  in  rows,  a  simple 
stone  lying  on  each,  containing  the  name,  birth,  and  time  of 


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death  of  the  departed.  This  morning  I  observed  by  a  circular 
notice,  the  death  of  a  young  lad  who  died  last  evening;  in 
order  to  give  notice  of  his  death,  they  played  with  trumpets 
the  tunes  of  three  hymns  from  the  steeple,  early  in  the  morning; 
certainly  a  very  simple  and  touching  ceremony !  the  corpse  is 
put  in  the  corpse-house,  and  the  burying  takes  place,  in  pre 
sence  of  the  whole  parish.  Not  far  from  the  burying  place, 
upon  an  elevated  spot,  is  a  cistern,  in  which  by  means  of  a 
forcing  machine,  the  water  is  carried  from  the  brook,  and  thence 
all  the  houses  and  streets  are  supplied  with  water. 

After  that  we  went  to  the  dwelling  of  the  sisterhood  ;  all  the 
old  maids,  and  some  younger  ones  of  the  parish,  who  have  no 
parents,  live  together.  Heretofore,  all  the  unmarried  women 
were  obliged  to  live  in  the  sister-house;  but  this  has  been 
changed  since,  and  those  who  have  parents,  live  with  their  families. 
Those  sisters  who  live  together,  have  either  each  a  separate  room, 
or  several  have  a  sitting  room  together.  They  support  themselves 
by  selling  female  utensils,  which  they  manufacture.  There  is 
no  house  for  the  brotherhood,  because  young  industrious  labour 
ers  in  this  happy  land,  where  there  are  no  taxes,  can  support 
themselves  very  well.  The  ground  on  which  the  houses  stand, 
belongs  to  the  parish,  and  every  man,  who  wishes  to  build  here, 
has  to  pay  a  certain  ground  rent.  There  is,  however,  here  no 
community  of  goods ;  every  one  has  to  work  for,  and  to  support 
himself,  and  the  parish  only  assists  him  when  he  has  become 
poor  by  misfortune. 

After  this  interesting  ramble  I  visited  Mr.  Rice,  who  is  a 
merchant,  owner  of  a  mill,  and  is  particularly  engaged  in  the  flour 
business  ;  he  also  keeps  a  store,  where  every  article  is  to  be 
found,  which  the  country  people  are  in  need  of;  from  cloth,  and 
fine  linen,  down  to  common  wagon-screws.  After  that,  I  dined 
at  home  in  the  lively  company  of  six  young  ladies  from  Provi 
dence,  who  also  came  to  finish  their  education  here  in  the  board 
ing-school  ;  as  in  Germany,  the  brothers  have  boarding-schools, 
where  children,  whose  parents  do  not  belong  to  the  society,  are 
carefully  educated.  The  female  school  is  at  Bethlehem,  and  the 
male  school  in  Nazareth. 

After  dinner  I  took  a  ride  with  Dr.  Stickel,  in  order  to  examine 
a  new  lock,  lately  established  on  the  river  Lehigh.  Within  a 
few  years  they  have  opened  important  coal  works,  about  thirty 
miles  from  this  place,  at  Mauch  Chunk,  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Blue  Mountains ;  these  mines  furnish  Philadelphia  and  the 
neighbourhood  with  the  well-known  Lehigh  coals,  which  are 
much  better  than  the  English  coals.  These  coals  were  formerly 
shipped  in  light  boats  near  the  pit,  and  floated  down  the  Lehigh 
irrto  the  Delaware  to  Philadelphia,  and  the  boats  were  then  broke 


152 

to  pieces  and  sold,  on  account  of  the  falls  and  strong  current  oi 
the  Lehigh,  which  prevented  their  return.  As  even  the  naviga 
tion  down  the  river  was  frequently  obstructed  on  account  of 
low  water,  and  incumbered  with  difficulties,  the  company  own 
ing  the  mines,  made  a  dam  in  the  river,  through  which  canals 
pass  with  locks,  by  means  of  which  they  have  improved  the  navi 
gation. 

In  the  vicinity  of  the  Lehigh,  there  are  many  limestone  rocks; 
these  they  explode,  partly  for  the  purpose  of  having  heavy 
stones,  which  are  thrown  on  the  dams,  partly  for  burning  them 
to  lime.  The  burned  lime  is  not  only  used  for  building,  but  also 
as  manure  for  the  fields. 

We  returned  from  the  locks  to  Bethlehem  by  another  road;  on 
account  of  their  distance  from  the  coal  pits,  these  locks  are 
called  the  thirty-seven  mile  locks.  We  passed  through  a  well 
cultivated  valley,  wherein  is  situated  a  place  called  Butstown, 
settled  by  Germans,  and  consisting  of  a  few  neat  brick  buildings. 
Thence  the  road  passed  through  an  oak-wood,  which  appeared  to 
be  in  very  good  order,  and  belonged  to  the  brotherhood.  In  the 
evening  I  went  with  Mr.  Seidel  to  a  concert,  which  the  amateurs 
of  the  town  gave.  In  the  town-school  is  a  room  appropriated 
for  these  concerts,  which  take  place  weekly.  The  orchestra 
consisted  of  eleven  musicians,  all  of  whom  were  mechanics  of 
Bethlehem,  who  very  successfully  practiced  this  art  as  amateurs. 
The  greatest  part  of  the  religious  service  of  the  brotherhood 
consists  of  music ;  for  this  reason  music  constitutes  a  principal 
part  of  their  education.  The  music  was  fine  beyond  all  expectation; 
I  heard  very  good  male  and  female  singers ;  amongst  others  were 
Mr.  Seidel  and  one  of  the  young  female  ushers  of  the  boarding- 
school,  Miss  Humphreys.  Finally,  the  good  Bishop  Huflfel  had 
the  politeness  to  amuse  us,  to  our  great  gratification,  by  performing 
fancy  pieces  of  his  own  on  the  piano.  After  the  concert  I  remained 
a  few  hours  with  Mr.  Seidel,  his  wife  is  a  German  by  birth  ; 
moreover,  I  made  acquaintance  with  a  preacher,  Mr.  Frueauf, 
a  native  of  Dietendorf,  near  Gotha;  he  married  a  sister  of 
Mr.  Von  Schweinitz,  and  lives  on  his  income ;  I  found  in  him  a 
friendly  old  gentleman,  who  was  rejoiced  to  meet  a  countryman. 
Moreover  it  was  no  trifling  gratification  to  me,  to  have  conversed 
this  whole  day  in  German,  and  to  hear  that  language  spoken  in 
purity,  which  is  hardly  ever  the  case  in  other  parts  of  America. 

On  the  third  day  of  my  stay  at  Bethlehem,  Mr.  Frueauf  called 
for  me,  for  the  purpose  of  riding  with  me  to  the  brotherhood  of 
Nazareth,  which  is  ten  miles  distant.  The  road  passes  partly 
through  a  well  kept  wood,  and  partly  through  a  well  cultivated 
country.  A  great  many  single  farms,  which  we  passed,  showed 
the  wealth  of  their  owners.  One  of  the  places  we  passed,  is 


153 

railed  Hecktown;  this  name  originated  from  a  waggery  of  Mr. 
Frueauf,  on  account  of  the  fruitfulness  of  the  inhabitants,  who 
increase  and  j  multiply  very  fast.  Nazareth  is  also  very  well  built, 
and  resembles  Bethlehem,  only  it  is,  if  it  be  possible,  still 
more  quiet.  The  town  was  laid  out  in  the  year  1744,  and  the 
large  brick  building,  which  is  now  used  as  the  boys  boarding- 
school,  was  originally  intended  for  the  mansion  of  Count  Zin- 
zendorf.  This  district  has  about  five  hundred  inhabitants,,  in 
cluding  the  adjoining  parish  called  Schoeneck,  they  are  mostly  me 
chanics  and  farmers.  There  were  two  clergymen,  Mr.  Van  Vleck, 
son  of  the  ex-bishop  of  Bethlehem,  and  Mr.  Ronthal,  a  native 
German,  who  was  long  pastor  of  the  parish  of  Sarepta  in  Russia. 

We  first  visited  Mr.  Van  Vleck,  and  then  inspected  the  socie 
ty's  garden;  it  is  situated  on  the  slope  of  a  hill  and  has  some  pa 
vilions  and  handsome  promenades.  Then  we  went  in  the  board 
ing  school,  in  which  sixty  boys  receive  their  education;  forty 
board  in  the  house,  and  twenty  reside  with  their  parents,  in 
the  village.  This  school  is  likewise  for  children  of  different  de 
nominations,  and  is  generally  praised.  Immediately  on  my  en 
trance,  I  remarked  the  great  cleanliness  of  the  house.  The 
scholars  are  divided  into  four  classes,  and  are  not  received  till  they 
are  eight  years  old.  The  tutors  are  mostly  Germans,  or  at  least 
speak  that  language,  which  is  taught  to  the  boys  by  particular 
desire  of  their  parents.  The  school  possesses  a  good  cabinet  of 
natural  history,  which  is  kept  in  good  order,  and  has  a  collection 
of  eggs  of  various  birds  of  the  neighbourhood,  gathered  by  the 
scholars.  The  scholars  sleep  in  common  in  two  great  halls,  two 
superintendents  sleep  in  each  of  them.  They  eat  in  common 
and  take  a  long  daily  walk,  under  the  guardianship  of  their  tutors. 
Besides  the  common  school  rudiments,  the  French,  German,  and 
English  languages,  they  are  taught  drawing,  music,  and  Italian 
book-keeping  by  double  entry.  For  instruction  in  music,  every 
class  has  a  piano:  a  particular  room  is  destined  for  religious  wor 
ship.  The  boys  have  all  healthy,  lively,  and  open  countenances, 
and  are  kept  very  clean.  In  the  building  there  is  also  a  theolo 
gical  seminary  for  young  men  who  are  designed  for  the  pulpit; 
there  were  five  pupils  studying.  These  students  are  obliged 
to  finish  their  education  in  the  large  theological  seminary  of 
Gnadcnfeld  in  Upper  Silesia.  On  the  top  of  the  house  there 
is  a  gallery,  from  which  you  seethe  surrounding  neighbourhood. 
Nazareth  is  situated  on  rather  high  ground,  and  is  only  eight  miles 
I  distant  from  the  Blue  Mountains.  The  vicinity  would  be  very 
handsome,  if  there  were  more  streams  in  the  neighbourhood,  but 
in  these  it  seems  to  be  deficient. 

After  this  we  went  to  the  sisterhood's  house,  wherein  were 
lodged  thirty-seven  old  women,  who  sleep  all  in  one  large  hall. 

VOL.  I.  20 


154 

In  the  room  where  they  perform  worship,  there  is  a  small  or 
gan,  as  in  the  sisterhood  at  Bethlehem;  one  of  the  sisters  acts  as 
organist.  I  observed  here,  as  well  as  in  Bethlehem  that  the  old 
Moravian  female  costume,  particularly  the  caps,  have  gone  out 
of  fashion,  except  some  few  very  old  women,  and  they  now  dress 
in  handsome  modern  style.  We  visited  the  parson,  Mr.  Ronthal, 
and  the  elder  of  the  congregation,  Mr.  Hoeber.  I  became  ac 
quainted  with  a  former  missionary,  Mr.  Oppelt,  who  was  many 
years  amongst  the  Indians,  one  hundred  miles  the  other  side  of 
Detroit,  and  has  baptized  several  of  them.  He  has  retired  to 
Nazareth,  and  was  busy  in  making  preparations  of  birds. 

On  our  return  to  Bethlehem,  we  went  rather  roundabout,  in 
order  to  see  a  large  farm,  which  is  distinguished  in  the  country 
on  account  of  its  good  management;  it  is  occupied  by  a  native  of 
Nassau,  Mr.  Schlabach.  His  fields  are  indeed  in  an  excellent 
situation,  as  well  as  all  his  barns  and  farm  houses.  This  proprietor, 
who  is  now  so  wealthy,  came  over  a  redemptioner,  and  owes 
his  present  wealth  to  his  industry  and  frugality. 
t  After  dinner  I  went  with  Mr.  Seidel,  who  is  the  guardian,  to 
the  great  female  boarding-school.  In  the  office  where  the  small 
domestic  library  is  kept,  which  not  only  consists  of  religious 
books,  but  also  belles  lettres,  voyages  and  travels,  I  met  the  ve 
nerable  Bishop  Huffel,  who  accompanied  me,  with  Mr.  Seidel, 
during  my  inspection  of  the  school.  In  this  school  wre  found 
about  one  hundred  handsome  young  ladies,  between  the  ages  of 
eight  and  eighteen  years,  who  are  carefully  educated,  and  who, 
besides  the  common  school  education,  are  instructed  in  draw 
ing,  music,  and  all  female  accomplishments.  They  make  very 
fine  embroidery  and  tapestry,  and  also  handsome  artificial  flowers. 
They  are  divided  into  four  classes;  in  every  class-room  was  a 
piano.  I  was  informed  that  they  performed  their  morning  and 
evening  devotions  by  chanting.  After  dinner  they  receive  no 
other  instructions  but  music  and  female  accomplishments;  the 
latter  part  of  the  day  is  employed  in  walking  in  the  large  garden, 
which  lies  in  a  vale  behind  the  house.  They  have  also  a  hall  for 
prayers,  in  which  stands  a  piano,  and  which  is  often  made  use  of 
as  a  concert  room.  They  sleep  in  large  halls,  with  the  superin 
tendents,  and  the  girls  have  a  very  good  appearance.  The  cus 
tom  which  prevails  in  European  boarding-schools,  of  dressing  all 
the  girls  in  uniform,  and  distinguishing  different  classes  by  dif 
ferent  ribands,  does  not  take  place  here;  every  girl  dresses  as  she 
pleases.  The  scholars  are  from  all  parts  of  the  United  States, 
even  some  from  Alabama. 

After  having  examined  this  interesting  establishment,  I  walk 
ed  with  the  bishop  and  Mr.  Seidel  on  the  banks  of  the  brook,  in 
order  to  examine  some  works  that  are  situated  on  the  waterside. 


155 

The  first  was  the  work  which  forces  the  water  into  the  cistern,  as 
above-mentioned.  By  a  conductor  from  the  brook,  a  water-wheel 
is  set  in  motion;  this  wheel  works  two  pumps,  which  force  the 
water  into  iron  pipes  leading  into  the  cistern.  Not  far  from  this 
work  lives  a  currier  by  the  name  of  Mr.  Leipert,  who  manufac 
tures  leather  and  morocco:  in  this  establishment  the  principal 
machinery  is  also  moved  by  water.  They  have  two  ways  here 
of  raising  water,  one  is  by  boxes  fastened  on  a  large  wheel, 
these  boxes  fill  themselves  with  water,  when  they  are  below,  and 
throw  it  into  a  gutter,  when  they  come  up;  the  other  is  by  a  com 
mon  pump. 

At  last  my  companions  introduced  me  to  a  gentleman,  who, 
with  trouble  and  expense,  had  established  a  cabinet  of  ancient  and 
other  coins.  This  collection  was  indeed  extensive  and  valuable, 
recollecting  that  it  was  in  America. 

I  spent  the  evening  very  pleasantly  in  the  young  ladies  school; 
all  the  girls  were  assembled,  and  gave  a  musical  entertainment, 
mostly  songs  composed  for  several  voices.  But  as  the  girls  have 
to  retire  early,  the  entertainment,  for  which  I  was  indebted  to 
the  politeness  of  Mr.  Seidel,  was  soon  ended.  I  remained  a  short 
time  with  Mr.  Seidel,  I  then  took  my  leave  of  this  worthy  man, 
of  the  venerable  Bishop  Huffel,  and  the  polite  Mr.  Frueauf,  with 
the  intention  of  returning  next  spring,  God  willing,  to  this  lovely 
spot,  with  which  I  was  so  much  delighted.  In  going  home,  I  heard 
the  young  ladies  sing  their  evening  hymn,  and  received  a  very 
pretty  serenade  from  twenty  young  folks  of  the  place,  who, 
although  they  belong  to  the  brotherhood,  serve  as  the  musical 
band  of  the  militia.  I  could  not  leave  this  peaceable  and  quiet 
Bethlehem  without  being  affected,  whose  inhabitants  all  live 
united  like  one  family,  in  brotherly  and  sisterly  love,  and  seem 
all  to  have  the  same  habits,  acquired  by  the  same  education  and 
continued  sociability.  I  returned  with  the  stage  on  the  same 
bad  road  to  Philadelphia  by  which  I  left  it,  but  better  enjoyed 
the  view  of  this  beautiful,  well  cultivated  and  thickly  peo 
pled  country.  The  last  part  of  the  road  was  particularly  inte 
resting  to  me.  In  the  flourishing  villages  of  Germantown  and 
Nicetown  there  are  handsome  gardens  and  country-seats  of  Phi- 
ladelphians.  In  the  vicinity  of  Whitemarsh,  I  observed  the  re 
mains  of  General  Washington's  entrenchments.  Germantown, 
originally  settled  by  Germans,  forms  only  one  street,  which  is 
above  three  miles  long.  During  the  time  when  the  English  oc 
cupied  Philadelphia  and  its  vicinity,  General  Washington  fell 
upon  the  English  that  were  in  and  about  Germantown.  One 
battalion  of  the  British  threw  themselves  into  a  stone  house,  and 
defended  themselves  in  it  until  the  British  army  could  rally 
again,  and  drive  the  Americans  back.  The  house  is  situated  in  a 


156 

garden,  about  one  hundred  paces  from  the  road;  near  the  house, 
in  the  street,  is  a  well  which  supplies  the  house  with  water;  to 
keep  possession  of  the  well  was  of  great  consequence  to  the  Bri 
tish,  and  in  its  vicinity  many  men  are  said  to  have  lost  their  lives. 

On  the  ensuing  morning  I  went  with  Mr.  Halbach  to  Mr 
Vaux,  in  order  to  visit  under  his  guidance  some  other  public  in 
stitutions.  At  Mr.  Vaux's  we  met  several  of  the  public  characters 
of  the  city,  with  whom  I  had  conversations  on  various  subjects 
of  public  utility,  such  as  schools,  punishments,  &c.  Then  we 
went  into  a  Lancasterian  free  school,  where  five  hundred  lads 
are  instructed,  and  several  hundred  girls  of  the  lower  classes.  We 
did  not  see  the  girls;  it  was  Saturday,  which  is  a  holiday.  The 
boys  are  of  various  ages,  and  are  divided  into  eight  classes,  under 
the  inspection  of  one  teacher  and  several  monitors.  They  obey 
their  instructors  by  signals,  all  their  motions  are  made  according 
to  these  signals,  and  they  give  their  answers  with  the  greatest 
precision.  They  exercise  their  memory  by  reciting  pieces  of 
poetry,  and  making  mental  calculations.  They  write  well  and 
all  alike;  they  also  receive  instruction  in  geography;  one  of  the 
boys  had  drawn  a  good  and  correct  sketch  of  Thuringia.  They 
ought  to  pay  more  attention  to  the  dress  of  the  children,  for  some 
of  them  were  in  rags.  The  school  is  supported  by  the  city,  and 
is  under  the  direction  of  Quakers. 

Of  the  courts  of  justice  I  will  say  nothing;  they  are  entirely 
formed  after  the  English  model.  The  common  law  of  England  is 
so  well  known,  and  so  many  huge  volumes  written  upon  it,  that 
I  need  say  nothing  on  the  subject. 

The  state  prison,  which,  about  fifty  years  ago,  was  built  for  a 
county  jail,  contained  ad  interim  those  prisoners  which  are  in 
tended  for  the  new  penitentiary.  For  this  reason  this  prison  is 
overfilled  with  five  hundred  prisoners;  they  were  not  sufficiently 
watched,  and  therefore  often  riotous.  Through  a  misdirected 
philanthropy  of  the  Quakers,  who  have  also  the  direction  of  this 
prison,  there  are  no  guards  on  the  walls,  nor  in  the  passages,  and 
but  five  overseers  go  continually  amongst  the  labouring  prisoners, 
and  their  lives  are  often  exposed.  The  inspector  of  the  house, 
Mr.  Swift,  seemed  no  way  to  favour  this  system,  which  not  only 
does  not  improve  the  morals  of  the  convicts,  but  also  seems  to 
threaten  public  security.  At  this  time  there  was  a  bad  feeling 
among  the  prisoners,  and  they  daily  expected  a  riot.  The  Quakers 
themselves,  in  spite  of  their  philanthropy,  seemed  to  have  no 
great  confidence  in  the  prisoners.  In  our  walk  through  the 
prison  with  Mr.  Vaux,  it  was  evident  from' his  countenance  that 
t  uneasy,  and  as  the  prisoners  were  assembled  on  the  large 
stairs  at  twelve  o'clock,  to  go  to  their  dinner,  he  ensconced  him- 
selt  behind  the  iron  grate. 


157 

The  female  prisoners  occupy  one  of  the  wings  of  the  prison, 
and  are  employed  in  spinning,  sewing,  knitting  and  pulling 
horse-hair,  platting  straw,  and  washing.  They  sit  in  long  warm 
ed  corridors,  adjoining  to  the  doors  of  their  bed-rooms;  ten  and 
more  sleep  in  one  room,  on  horse-hair  mattresses  with  blankets. 
There  are  also  cells  for  solitary  confinement  established  for  them; 
in  one  of  them,  four  weeks  since,  a  handsome  girl  was  confined 
that  had  been  condemned  for  stealing,  and  affected  to  be  a  sim 
pleton,  deaf  and  dumb,  but  during  her  solitary  confinement  she 
began  to  speak  sensibly,  and  with  good  understanding.  The  male 
prisoners  inhabit  the  other  wing,  and  have  the  whole  yard  to 
themselves,  where  there  are  several  workshops.  Most  of  the 
prisoners  were  busy  in  the  yard  sawing  marble,  others  weave, 
are  tailors,  shoemakers,  &c.  and  there  are  several  good  cabinet 
makers,  who  make  very  tine  furniture  for  the  stores  in  the  city. 
All  hands  are  busy:  the  invalids  are  mostly  employed  in  pulling 
horse-hair.  In  the  bake-house  of  the  institution  they  bake  very 
good  brown  bread,  and  each  prisoner  receives  daily  one  pound 
and  a  half.  The  prisoners  have  a  long  subterraneous  room  for 
an  eating  hall,  which  is  lighted  with  lamps,  and  receive  daily- 
good  broth,  fresh  meat,  and  potatoes.  They  certainly  live  much 
better  than  many  an  honest  man  who  has  to  maintain  his  family 
by  his  industry.  A  weaver  was  confined  in  the  solitary  cells, 
who,  in  a  moment  of  impatience,  had  cut  through  his  thread  with 
a  knife,  because  it  was  entangled.  In  each  wing  there  is  a  separate 
nursery  for  the  patients  of  both  sexes.  In  spite  of  the  great  num 
ber  of  prisoners,  great  cleanliness  is  maintained. 

His  excellency,  John  Quincy  Adams,  President  of  the  United 
States,  had  just  returned  from  a  visit  to  his  aged  and  venerable 
father  near  Boston,  and  took  the  room  next  to  mine  in  the  Man 
sion-house.  He  had  been  invited  to  the  Wistar-Party  on  the 
22d  of  October,  at  the  house  of  Colonel  Biddle,  and  accepted  the 
invitation  to  the  gratification  of  all  the  members.  I  also  visited 
the  party.  The  President  is  a  man  about  sixty  years  old,  of  rather 
short  stature,  with  a  bald  head,  and  of  a  very  plain  and  worthy 
appearance.  He  speaks  little,  but  what  he  does  speak  is  to  the 
purpose.  I  must  confess  that  I  seldom  in  my  life  felt  so  true  and 
sincere  a  reverence  as  at  the  moment  when  this  honourable  gen 
tleman  whom  eleven  millions  of  people  have  thought  worthy  to 
elect  as  their  chief  magistrate,  shook  hands  with  me.  He  made 
many  inquiries  after  his  friends  at  Ghent,  and  particularly  after 
the  family  of  Mr.  Mculemeester.  Unfortunately  I  could  not 
long  converse  with  him,  because  every  member  of  the  party  had 
greater  claims  than  myself.  At  the  same  time  I  made  several 
other  new  and  interesting  acquaintances,  among  others  with  a 
Quaker,  Mr.  Wood,  who  had  undertaken  a  tour  through  Eng- 


158 

land,  France,  Germany,  Denmark,  Sweden  and  Russia,  mostly 
with  the  philanthropic  view  of  examining  the  prison  discipline 
of  those  countries.  I  was  much  gratified  with  his  instructive  con 
versation,  although  I  had  some  controversy  with  him  on  the 
prison  discipline,  as  he  heard  that  I  did  not  agree  with  his  views 
relative  to  the  new  penitentiary,  of  which  he  was  one  of  the 
most  active  promoters.  Mr.  Livingston,  who  has  effected  the 
abolition  of  capital  punishment  in  the  state  of  Louisiana,  was 
here  lauded  to  the  skies  by  the  philanthropists.  God  send  it 
success! 

On  the  following  day  I  paid  my  respects  to  the  President,  and 
gave  him  the  medals  which  Mr.  Cornelissen  at  Ghent  had  con 
fided  to  my  care.  One  silver  medal  was  from  the  Botanic  So 
ciety  of  Ghent,  with  an  appropriate  inscription  for  the  President; 
the  other  a  bronze  medal,  which  had  been  struck  in  the  year 
1823,  in  honour  of  the  Haerlem  jubilee  on  the  discovery  of  the 
art  of  printing;  both  were  sunk  by  the  skilful  artist  Mr.  Bracmt, 
at  Brussels.  In  the  evening  I  saw  the  President  again,  who 
honoured  with  his  presence  a  party  at  Mr.  Walsh's.  I  had  first 
the  intention  of  leaving  here  to-day  with  the  steam-boat  for 
Baltimore,  but  the  arrival  of  the  President  changed  my  resolu 
tion,  as  I  wished  to  attend  with  him  the  anniversary,  which  was 
to  be  celebrated  on  the  24th  of  October,  and  then  to  travel  in  his 
company  to  Baltimore. 

In  order  to  celebrate  the  day  on  which  William  Penn  landed 
in  the  year  1683  in  America,  which  was  the  origin  of  the  state 
of  Pennsylvania,  those  who  respect  his  memory  have  established 
a  society,  which  celebrates  the  24th  of  October  as  a  public  festi 
val.  At  this  time  the  celebration  consisted  of  a  public  oration  in 
the  University  and  a  public  dinner.  Mr.  Vaux  called  for  me  at 
twelve  o'clock  to  go  to  the  oration.  The  building  of  the  Univer 
sity  of  Pennsylvania  was  originally  intended  as  a  dwelling  for 
President  Washington,  who  declined  the  present,  and  it  was  then 
used  for  the  University.  A  great  number  of  people  had  collected 
in  one  of  the  lecture  rooms;  they  seated  me  within  the  tribune 
whence  the  orator  was  to  speak;  the  President,  who  entered  soon 
after  me,  was  led  to  the  same  place,  and  received  with  loud  and 
warm  acclamations.  The  oration  was  delivered  by  a  lawyer,  Mr. 
Charles  Ingersoll;  it  contained  rather  a  statistic  account  of  the 
state  of  Pennsylvania  than  of  the  landing  of  William  Penn;  this 
the  Quakers  did  not  like,  although  the  oration  was  well  conceived 
and  generally  admired.  The  orator  mentioned  a  particular  fact, 
which,  as  far  as  I  know,  is  unknown  in  Europe,  viz.  William 
Penn  mentions  in  one  of  his  writings,  of  which  I  had  already 
seen  the  original  in  the  library  of  the  Philosophical  Society, 
shown  to  me  by  Mr.  Vaughan,  that  by  an  act  of  Charles  II.  this 


159 

land  was  given  to  William  Penn,  and  his  Majesty,  in  honour  of 
Penn's  father,  Admiral  Penn,  called  it  Pennsylvania;  he,  Wil 
liam  Penn,  had  proposed  the  name  of  New  Wales,  but  the  king 
did  not  sanction  this  name;  Penn  then  offered  to  the  secretary 
of  the  king  twenty  guineas,  if  he  would  persuade  the  king  to  call 
the  country  merely  Sylvania;  but  even  this  proposition  did  not 
succeed ;  the  name  of  Pennsylvania  was  very  unpleasant  to  him ; 
for  they  would  think  it  great  vanity  in  him,  although  he  was 
very  far  from  being  vain.  In  his  observations  concerning  the 
manufactures  of  Pennsylvania,  the  orator  went  now  and  then  too 
far.  He  said,  for  instance,  that  nowhere,  not  even  in  Europe, 
are  better  carriages  made  than  in  Philadelphia,  although  the  car 
riages  of  this  place  are  not  the  very  best  nor  the  most  convenient. 
The  school  establishments,  however,  he  pointed  out  in  a  too  in 
different  light,  and  confessed  complainingly  that  in  the  northern 
states  they  were  farther  advanced  than  here;  he  particularly  ob 
served  that  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  was  in  a  poor  condi 
tion.  He  also  complained  of  the  dissipation  of  the  lower  classes. 
This  oration  was  much  applauded;  the  audience  likewise  exhi 
bited  their  respect  to  the  President  as  he  retired. 

I  sat  next  to  Judge  Peters,  a  venerable  gentleman  of  eighty- 
two  years  of  age,  who  was  secretary  of  war  during  the  revolu 
tion;  moreover,  I  wras  introduced  here  to  Mr.  Washington,  ne 
phew  of  the  hero,  and  Judge  in  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States.  He  is  the  heir  of  his  uncle,  and  possessor  of  Mount  Ver- 
non,  where  his  ashes  rest.  After  the  oration  I  inspected  the 
anatomical  cabinet  of  the  University;  it  is  not  a  rich  collection, 
but  has  some  interesting  articles,  viz.  two  wax  figures  of  full  size, 
which  can  be  taken  to  pieces;  also  a  collection  of  human  skulls, 
among  which  I  remarked  particularly  the  flattened  skulls  of  two 
Peruvian  Indians,  and  also  a  skeleton  of  a  Creek  Indian;  many 
samples  of  fractured  and  badly  cured  human  bones,  and  many 
curious  bones;  parts  of  the  human  body,  injected  or  preserved  in 
alcohol,  &c. 

At  four  o'clock,  P.  M.  I  drove  with  Mr.  Vaux  to  the  Masonic 
Hall,  where  the  dinner  was  to  be  given.  About  seventy  persons, 
mostly  gentlemen  of  my  acquaintance,  were  present.  The 
President  of  the  United  States  sat  on  the  right  of  Judge  Peters, 
who  was  president  of  the  dinner,  and  sat  in  William  Penn's 
chair;  I  sat  on  the  left  of  this  worthy  old  gentleman,  and  on  my 
left  was  the  orator  of  the  day,  Mr.  Ingersoll.  Behind  Judge 
Peters's  chair  was  William  Penn's  portrait,  painted  in  oil,  and 
under  that  was  a  copperplate  of  his  well  known  treaty  with  the 
Indians.  The  vice-president  of  the  table  was  Mr.  Duponceau, 
a  Frenchman  who  has  resided  in  this  country  forty-seven  years, 
and  during  the  revolution  was  adjutant  to  Baron  Steuben  ;  he  is 


160 

a  lawyer,  and  pleads  very  well  in  the  English  language.  This 
gentleman  possesses  a  rare  talent  for  languages,  and  has  a  parti 
cular  fondness  for  the  German.  Goethe's  Faust  is  his  favourite 
work,  and  as  I  agreed  with  his  taste,  we  entertained  ourselves 
for  a  long  time  with  Faust,  alternately  reciting  our  favourite 
passages.  The  first  health  that  was  drank,  was  naturally  that  of 
the  President  of  the  United  States;  his  excellency  rose,  and  in  a 
short  speech  thanked  them  heartily  ;  as  my  health  was  drank,  I 
also  rose,  excused  my  imperfect  knowledge  of  the  English,  and 
begged  permission  to  thank  them  in  the  French  language, 
wherein  I  could  express  myself  better  and  more  fluently.  I  then 
spoke  a  few  words  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  expressing  the 
sincere  interest  I  take  in  the  happiness  and  welfare  of  this  court- 
try  ;  I  congratulated  the  society  on  the  pious  feelings  with  which 
they  celebrate  the  memory  of  their  ancestors,  and  particularly 
of  that  excellent  man  who  laid  the  foundation  of  this  great 
community ;  these  would  be  the  best  security  for  their  future 
prosperity.  I  expressed  my  gladness  at  being  present  on  this 
occasion,  to  witness  their  animated  sentiments,  thanked  them, 
feeling  fully  for  the  kind  reception  I  had  met  with,  and  told 
them  that  this  festival,  which  was  still  more  valuable  on  account 
of  the  presence  of  the  chief  magistrate  of  this  great  nation,  would 
never  fade  from  my  memory,  and  that  I  hoped  to  leave  behind 
me  friends  in  the  new  world  when  I  should  have  returned  to  the 
old.  I  concluded  with  wishes  of  blessings  and  happiness.  It 
appeared  to  me  that  my  plain  address  was  not  unkindly  received. 
The  president  retired  at  eight  o'clock,  and  I  remained  until  ten. 
Among  the  commonly  called  volunteer  toasts,  the  following 
were  drank:  "Weimar,  the  native  country  of  letters !"  I  rose 
and  said,  that  to  this  toast  I  could  only  answer  by  a  modest 
silence,  as  it  was  worthy  to  be  answered  by  a  learned  man  from 
Weimar,  and  unfortunately  I  could  not  pretend  to  be  one.  When 
young,  I  had  left  home  for  a  military  school,  to  run  my  career 
in  the  chances  of  war,  so  that  the  sciences  did  not  enter  my 
door.  I  therefore,  gave  them  in  reply,  the  following  toast: 
"Pennsylvania,  the  asylum  of  unfortunate  Germans!"  This 
toast  was  received  with  great  applause.  The  venerable  Judge 
Peters*  sung  a  song,  which  he  composed  the  preceding  evening, 
with  a  great  deal  of  vivacity,  and  every  one  was  merry  and 
lively. 

The  society  have  their  laws  written  on  parchment,  bound  in  a 
very  elegant  volume.  This  book  was  placed  before  the  president 
and  myself,  to  sign;  we  signed  it,  and  by  this  means  became 
honorary  members  of  this  respectable  society. 

*  [Recently  deceased.] — TRANS. 


161 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Baltimore. 

ON  the  25th  of  October,  I  made  several  farewell  visits,  and 
went  on  board  the  steam-boat  Baltimore  at  twelve  o'clock,  to 
leave  the  dear  Philadelphia  to  which  I  had  become  so  much  at 
tached.  Mr.  Tromp  had  set  out  several  days  before,  to  meet  the 
Pallas  at  Norfolk.  The  President  of  the  United  States  came  on 
board  of  the  steam-boat  soon  after,  in  company  of  several  gentle 
men  from  town.  At  the  steam-boat  wharf,  a  crowd  of  citizens 
had  assembled  once  more  to  see  the  respected  chief  of  their  go 
vernment,  who  is  justly  venerated  by  all  intelligent  men.  When 
the  boat  started,  the  crowd,  consisting  of  well-dressed  individuals, 
cheered  the  president,  who  remained  a  long  time  uncovered.  We 
descended  the  Delaware  about  forty  miles.  This  river  becomes 
very  large;  the  shores  are  flat,  and  apparently  well  cultivated. 
The  president  had  the  kindness  to  converse  a  long  time  with  me. 

I  was  here  introduced  to  a  Mr.  Sullivan,  from  Boston,  who 
seemed  to  be  much  esteemed  by  the  president,  and  Captain  Ma 
clean  of  the  garrison  of  Halifax,  who  was  travelling  for  his 
pleasure. 

I  also  met  with  Mr.  De  Salazar,  ambassador  from  Colombia, 
with  his  secretary,  Mr.  Gomes,  and  the  Mexican  consul,  Mr. 
Obregon:  I  had  already  made  the  acquaintance  of  these  gentle 
men  in  New  York.  Their  interesting  conversation,  and  the  mo 
deration  of  their  views  gave  me  much  pleasure. 

We  arrived  at  New  Castle  between  four  and  five  o'clock;  this 
is  a  well-built  little  town,  situated  on  the  right  shore  of  the  river, 
in  the  state  of  Delaware,  whence  it  is  sixteen  miles  to  French- 
town  by  land,  where  the  Chesapeake  steam-boats  receive  the  pas 
sengers. 

The  president  being  in  one  of  the  stages,  the  drivers  went  on 
more  rapidly  than  customary.  The  road  was  in  general  sandy, 
and  ran  through  woods;  we  did  not  perceive  any  villages,  as  it 
soon  became  dark,  and  the  interesting  conversation  respecting 
the  scenery  ceased.  Frenchtown  is  a  little  place,  which  was 
burnt  and  plundered  during  the  last  war,  by  the  British  Admiral 
Cockburn.  We  went  on  board  the  steam-boat  Constitution.  This 
boat  was  very  spacious,  and  furnished  with  beds,  the  machinery, 
however,  made  a  great  noise,  and  produced  a  jarring  motion. 

The  night  was  beautiful;  the  moonlight  and  the  woody  shores 

VOL.  I.  21 


162 

of  the  river,  produced  a  very  fine  effect.  I  remained  a  long  time 
on  deck  in  conversation  with  Captain  Maclean;  no  rest  could  be 
obtained  in  bed,  as,  in  addition  to  the  noise  of  the  machinery, 
six  horses  trampled  just  above  me  on  deck,  and  a  German  me 
chanic,  who  was  unable  to  sleep,  talked  to  himself,  near  me.  We 
arrived  very  early  next  morning  at  Baltimore.  After  our  arrival, 
the  president  took  a  carriage  for  Washington,  which  is  only 
thirty-six  miles  distant  The  greater  part  of  the  travellers  re 
mained  in  bed  until  between  six  and  seven  o'clock.  I  went 
through  the  somewhat  solitary  but  regular  streets  to  the  hotel, 
called  the  Indian  Queen,  where  lodgings  had  been  prepared  for 
me.  Here  I  had  the  pleasure  to  meet  Sir  Michael  Clare  and  his 
lady;  shortly  after  my  arrival,  I  received  the  visit  of  Mr.  Huy- 
gens,  son  to  the  Chevalier  Bangemann  Huygens,  ambassador 
from  the  Netherlands,  at  Washington,  officer  of  our  artillery,  and 
attached  to  the  legation.  His  father  had  the  politeness  to  place 
this  young  gentleman  at  my  disposal.  As  soon  as  I  was  estab 
lished  in  the  hotel,  I  went  out  in  company  with  Sir  Michael,  in 
order  to  see  the  curiosities  of  the  city.  The%nvn  is  of  a  regular 
construction,  and  contains,  as  I  was  assured,  seventy -five  thousand 
inhabitants.  Great  projects  are  formed  for  increasing  its  pros 
perity;  these  projects,  however,  have  been  somewhat  stopped  by 
some  considerable  failures.  This  place  has  increased  with  almost 
incredible  rapidity;  in  the  year  1752,  there  were  only  ten  houses. 
The  streets  are  wide,  with  foot-walks,  some  of  them  are  planted 
as  in  Philadelphia,  with  poplar  trees.  The  city  seems  tolerably 
animated;  I  saw  a  very  great  number  of  negroes  in  the  streets. 
The  state  of  Maryland  is  the  first  on  which  I  set  my  foot  where 
the  slavery  of  negroes  is  legally  maintained.  Farther  to  the  south, 
this  state  of  things  is  every  where  common.  I  merely  mention 
the  fact;  it  does  not  belong  to  me  to  give  opinions  on  so  deli 
cate  a  subject.  Still  my  journey  convinced  me  of  the  truth  of 
the  old  observation,  that  inaccurate  judgments  are  easily  formed 
respecting  things  not  sufficiently  known,  which  we  have  neither 
seen  nor  examined  ourselves.  We  first  visited  the  Washington 
Monument,  situated  on  a  hill.  It  is,  or  rather  will  be,  erected 
by  the  state  of  Maryland;  it  consists  of  a  column  of  white  marble 
one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  high,  it  is  to  be  adorned  with  bas-re 
liefs  of  bronze,  representing  scenes  from  the  life  of  the  hero.  On 
the  top  of  the  column  is  to  be  placed  the  colossal  statue  of  this 
great  man.  But  the  requisite  funds  are  wanting;  and  therefore 
these  ornaments  are  not  yet  finished.  We  ascended  the  column 
by  a  spiral  staircase  of  two  hundred  and  twenty-six  steps,  but  did 
not  enjoy  a  fine  prospect,  on  account  of  the  misty  atmosphere. 
We  visited  another  monument,  erected  to  the  memory  of  the 
citizens  who  fell  in  the  defence  of  Baltimore  on  the  12th  of  Sep 


163 

tember,  1814.  On  a  pedestal  stands  a  column  representing  a 
bundle  of  staves.  The  names  of  the  fallen  citizens  are  inscribed 
on  the  ribands  which  unite  them.  On  the  top  is  the  statue  of  vic 
tory;  at  the  four  corners  of  the  pedestal,  griffins.  We  remarked 
several  fine  public  buildings,  among  which,  some  churches  were 
very  distinguished.  The  handsomest  is  the  Catholic  cathedral, 
the  dome  of  which,  is  similar  to  that  of  the  Roman  pantheon. 
The  interior  of  this  church  is  richly  ornamented,  and  contains 
several  fine  paintings,  the  greater  part  of  which,  arrived  during 
the  French  revolution.  The  handsomest  among  them  is  a  descent 
from  the  cross,  by  Gulein,  in  Paris,  which,  according  to  an  in 
scription,  was  presented  to  the  church  by  Louis  XVIII.  at  the 
request  of  Count  Menou.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  its  size  does 
not  permit  it  to  be  placed  over  the  altar.  It  was  suspended  near 
the  entrance.  King  Charles  X.  is  said  to  have  promised  the  com 
panion  to  this  piece.  I  was  introduced  in  the  church  to  the  arch 
bishop  of  Baltimore,  M.  Marechal,*  who  is  the  Catholic  primate 
of  the  United  States.  He  is  a  native  of  France,  and  has  resided 
in  the  United  States  since  1792,  whither  he  first  came  as  a  mis 
sionary.  He  is  spoken  of  as  a  man  of  much  spirit  and  activity. 
His  exterior  is  of  great  simplicity;  he  is  of  small  stature,  and  ani 
mated.  When  he  first  addressed  me,  with  his  book  under  his 
arm,  I  took  him  for  a  French  teacher,  but  he  very  soon  presented 
himself  to  me  as  the  archbishop. 

The  state  of  Maryland  contains  the  greatest  number  of  Catho 
lics,  with  the  exception  of  the  state  of  Louisiana  and  Florida, 
where  the  Catholics,  on  account  of  their  wealth  have  some  influ 
ence.  Not  far  distant  from  the  cathedral  is  the  Unitarian  church, 
tastefully  ornamented  on  the  exterior  with  columns,  and  sur 
mounted  by  a  dome.  The  English  Episcopal  church  is  likewise 
not  far  distant;  it  has  a  colonade  at  the  entrance,  but  a  spire  with 
out  the  least  taste.  The  front  of  the  church  is  ornamented  with 
two  statues,  of  the  Saviour  and  Moses,  by  an  Italian  sculptor, 
(still  living  here,)  Mr.  Oapellano.  It  is  reported  that  the  inha 
bitants  of  Baltimore  being  very  much  scandalized  at  the  horns  of 
Moses,  the  artist  was  obliged  to  take  them  off.  Certain  it  is,  that 
the  looses  oh  this  church  does  not  wear  these  ornaments.  We 
saw  another  building  of  recent  construction,  called  the  Athenaeum, 
which  was  built  by  subscription.  We  found  there  a  small  library 
and  reading  room  for  American  and  English  newspapers,  and 
a  concert  room.  Finally,  we  went  to  a  large  building  called 
the  Exchange.  A  few  hours  after  this  promenade,  Sir  Michael 
and  Lady  Clare  set  out  for  New  York,  whence  they  intended  to 
embark  for  Jamaica.  To  them  I  was  indebted  for  an  introduc- 

*  [Since  deceased.] — TRANS. 


164 

tion  to  Dr.  Macauley,  a  respectable  physician,  whose  acquaintance 
was  tho  more  agreeable  to  me,  as  I  found  him  to  be  an  accom 
plished  man.  In  his  company  I  rode  to  Fort  M'Henry;  this  fort 
is  situated  two  miles  from  Baltimore,  at  the  latter  extremity  of 
the  isthmus  formed  by  the  eastern  and  western  arms  of  the  Pa- 
tapsco,  which  empties  into  the  Chesapeake  Bay.  This  fort  was 
rendered  interesting  by  the  repulse  of  an  attack  made  by  the 
British  the  12th  of  September,  1814,  by  water;  this  well-sustain 
ed  defence  contributed  much  to  the  safety  of  Baltimore.  The 
English  disembarked  their  troops  on  the  eastern  shore  of  the  Pa- 
tapsco — these  were  to  attack  the  city  by  land,  meanwhile  the 
fleet  was  to  bombard,  and  to  take  Fort  M'Henry.  The  landed 
troops,  whose  general,  Ross,  was  killed,  met  with  such  resistance 
from  the  citizens  that  they  were  compelled  to  retire  with  consi 
derable  loss;  the  attack  on  Fort  M'Henry  had  no  better  success. 
The  English  bomb-ships  were  anchored  too  far  from  the  fort  to 
allow  the  shells  to  do  much  mischief.  Not  being  able  to  ob 
tain  any  advantage  from  this  side,  they  embarked  troops  in  boats 
the  following  night,  which,  by  aid  of  the  darkness,  passed  the 
fort,  and  entered  the  western  branch  of  the  Patapsco.  But  they 
were  discovered  in  time,  and  repelled  by  the  batteries  situated 
above  the  fort.  The  fort  itself  is  very  small,  and  ill-shaped;  a 
pentagon  with  five  little  bastions,  where  at  most  but  three  large 
guns  can  be  mounted;  in  front  of  the  entrance  is  a  little  ravelin 
which  defends  nothing.  There  is  no  counterscarp;  the  ram 
parts  are  sodded.  The  fort  is  separated  from  the  land  by  a  wall, 
which  might  rather  prove  injurious  than  advantageous.  Near  the 
water's  edge  there  is  a  battery  which  can  contain  more  than  fifty 
guns  for  firing  over  the  beach.  There  are  also  some  furnaces 
for  heating  cannon  balls.  It  was  this  battery  which  offered  the 
greatest  resistance  to  the  British.  It  contained  heavy  guns  for 
merly  belonging  to  a  French  man  of  war,  which  were  served 
by  American  sailors.  One  thousand  five  hundred  men  stood 
in  this  narrow  space,  without  a  single  bomb-proof  building  in 
the  fort,  not  even  the  powder-magazine,  and  notwithstanding,  not 
more  than  thirty  men  were  killed  and  wounded.  Since  that  time, 
the  engineers  have  erected  bomb-proofs  on  each  side  of  the  ga*e,  as 
well  as  a  bomb-proof  powder-magazine,  and  a  bomb-proof  roof 
over  the  pump.  The  fort  is  in  a  decayed  condition,  and  is  to  be 
abandoned  on  account  of  its  unimportant  situation.  The  engineers 
intend  to  construct  new  fortifications  several  miles  farther  off  in 
the  Chesapeake  Bay.  Moreover,  the  situation  of  this  fort  is  so 
unhealthy  that  the  garrison  leave  it  during  the  summer.  From 
this  spot  there  is  a  fine  view  of  both  branches  of  the  Patapsco,  on 
shores  the  trees  in  their  autumnal  dress  of  variegated  leaves 
presented  a  very  handsome  appearance.  On  returning,  we  as- 


165 

ccnded  one  of  the  hills  commanding  the  city,  where  we  enjoyed 
a  beautiful  prospect.  An  observatory  situated  here,  announces 
the  arrival  of  ships  in  the  bay  by  signals. 

Dr.  Macauley  showed  me  the  medical  college,  constructed  at 
the  expense  of  the  state  of  Maryland,  a  spacious  and  handsome 
building,  decorated  with  a  portico.  It  contains  an  amphitheatre, 
sky-lighted  rotunda  for  anatomical  lectures,  a  semi-amphitheatre 
for  chemical  lectures,  to  which  are  joined  a  laboratory  and  a  ca 
binet  with  philosophical  apparatus.  The  anatomical  cabinet  did 
not  appear  to  be  very  rich,  as  the  school  is  yet  in  its  infancy.  I 
remarked  a  female  wax  figure  representing  a  rupture  of  the  ute 
rus,  and  several  human  embrios,  abortions,  and  monsters.  I  saw 
likewise  a  considerable  collection  of  minerals,  among  which  I  sa 
luted  as  an  old  acquaintance,  a  basaltic  column  from  the  giant's 
causeway  in  Ireland.  Seven  professors  lecture  in  the  medical 
college;  the  lectures  are  delivered  during  four  months,  from  No 
vember  to  the  end  of  February.  Near  to  the  college  is  an  in 
firmary  belonging  to  this  institution,  where  the  sick  are  nursed  by 
an  order  of  religious  women  called  sisters  of  charity. 

The  Baltimore  Museum  was  established  by  the  second  son  of 
the  same  artist,  C.  W.  Peale,  who  founded  the  Philadelphia  Mu 
seum.  His  sons  were  destined  from  their  cradle  to  become  ar 
tists,  as  their  Christian  names  are  Rafaellc,  Rubens,  Titian, 
&c.  One  of  the  saloons  of  the  museum  is  occupied  by  the 
paintings  of  Rembrandt  Peale.  He  succeeds  very  well  in 
some  of  his  copies  ;  for  instance,  King  Lear  braving  the  tempest, 
from  West ;  perhaps  he  is  less  successful  in  his  originals,  espe 
cially  in  his  full  length  equestrian  portrait  of  Napoleon. 
Several  paintings  in  miniature,  by  Miss  Peale,  niece  of  C.  W. 
Peale,  are  tolerably  good. 

The  museum  is  not  so  extensive  as  that  of  Philadelphia;  still 
it  contains  some  very  interesting  objects,  which  however,  I  had 
not  time  to  examine  sufficiently  in  detail.  The  museum  is  ar 
ranged  in  two  stories  of  the  buildings;  the  first  contains  various 
quadrupeds  and  birds,  I  perceived  a  specimen  of  the  duck-bill 
animal  from  New  South  Wales.  The  birds  are  all  indigenous, 
and  arc  described  in  Wilson's  Ornithology.  The  collection  of 
American  insects  and  butterflies  is  very  handsome  ;  among  them 
are  several  centipedes,  large  scorpions,  and  the  mammoth  spider 
from  South  America,  which  kills  the  humming  bird.  These 
insects  are  well  preserved  in  frames  of  white  plaster.  The 
plaster  is  cast  on  moulds,  the  insect  is  put  into  the  cavity,  and 
fastened  by  pins  stuck  in  the  plaster  while  it  is  sufficiently  hot 
to  destroy  the  moths  which  may  have  entered  the  cavity ;  finally, 
they  arc  hermetically  secured  beneath  watch  crystals.  There 
is  also  a  handsome  collection  of  Indian  antiquities,  weapons  and 


166 

other  objects;  among  these  arms  were  a  great  number  of  arrow 
heads  of  flint,  such  as  I  had  seen  among  the  Tuscaroras  ;  farther, 
a  great  number  of  toys,  and  other  trifles ;  a  skeleton  of  the  mas 
todon,  but  not  so  complete  as  the  one  in  Philadelphia,  forms 
part  of  this  museum ;  the  large  teeth  are  missing,  but  the  lower 
jaw  bone*  is  particularly  well  preserved;  two  weeks  previous  to 
my  visit  it  had  fallen  down  along  with  the  chain  by  which  it 
had  been  suspended  from  the  ceiling,  and  had  broken  in  two. 

There  is  also  here,  a  very  handsome  collection  of  minerals. 
It  is  to  be  regretted  that  so  many  rare  things  are  not  better 
arranged,  and  separated  from  mere  trifles.  The  city  library  was 
founded  by  subscription;  it  contains  about  fifteen  thousand 
volumes ;  I  asked  to  see  Humboldt's  splendid  work  on  Mexico ; 
the  library  does  not  contain  any  thing  very  remarkable.  Mr. 
Thomas,  a  Friend,  one  of  the  philanthropic  public  characters  to 
whom  I  was  introduced  by  Mr.  Vaux,  of  Philadelphia,  conducted 
me  to  a  steam-mill,  situated  near  the  basin.  It  seems  to  me  that 
such  a  mill  is  well  worth  imitating,  especially  in  Flanders, 
where  running  water  is  so  scarce.  The  machine  which  moves 
the  wheels  was  made  by  Bolton  and  Watt,  of  Soho,  in  England, 
and  is  of  sixty  horse-power.  This  mill  has  eight  pair  of  stones, 
of  which  there  are  commonly  but  four  worked  at  a  time ;  most  of 
the  work,  which  in  general  is  done  by  men,  is  performed  by 
machinery  connected  with  the  steam-engine  ;  a  long  and  hori 
zontal  chest  leads  from  the  interior  of  the  mill  to  the  wharf, 
where  the  vessels  with  grain  lie ;  from  the  vessel,  the  wheat 
is  poured  in  one  of  the  extremities  of  the  chest,  or  rather  channel, 
along  whose  whole  length  a  spiral  screw  runs,  which  by  turning 
brings  the  grain  to  a  large  reservoir  in  the  mill.  By  another 
piece  of  machinery  the  wheat  is  conveyed  to  the  upper  part  of 
the  house  and  thrown  into  a  wire  cylinder,  where  it  is  perfectly 
fanned,  and  is  thence  conducted  to  the  hoppers ;  the  flour  falls 
into  a  common  reservoir,  whence  it  is  conveyed  to  a  bolting  ma 
chine.  The  fine  flour  passes  through  a  trough  to  a  place  where 
it  is  spread  by  a  horizontally  revolving  rake,  to  be  cooled ;  after 
this  it  runs  by  a  spout  to  the  ground  floor,  where  it  is  packed  in 
oaken  barrels.  A  workman  fills  the  barrel  with  a  shovel,  pushes 
it  on  an  iron  ring  forming  part  of  a  scale,  to  weigh  it,  underneath 
a  wooden  block,  which  acted  upon  by  a  lever  presses  the  flour  into 
the  barrel;  this  block,  after  being  sponged  in  the  common  way,  is 
again  ready  for  immediate  use.  Two  hundred  barrels  of  superfine 

*  [This  is  the  only  perfect  lower  jaw  of  the  mastodon  ever  found,  and  the 
lover  of  Natural  History  must  regret  the  extreme  carelessness  of  the  proprie 
tor  or  superintendent  of  the  Baltimore  Museum,  which  has  allowed  so  valuable 
a  specimen  to  be  mutilated.     The  London  Medical  Society  was  once  in  treaty 

•  this  jaw  bone,  at  the  price  of  three  hundred  guineas.]— TRANS. 


167 

flour  can  be  furnished  daily  by  this  mill,  which  works  night  and 
day ;  twelve  workmen  are  sufficient  to  attend  to  all  the  opera 
tions.  The. owner  said  he  could  do  with  fewer,  but  was  unwil 
ling  to  dismiss  them.  The  engine  has  three  boilers,  one  is  unem 
ployed,  to  be  cleaned  and  to  be  in  reserve  in  case  of  an  accident ; 
from  the  roof  of  the  mill  there  is  a  fine  prospect  over  the  city 
and  harbour. 

Mr.  Thomas,  who  is  one  of  the  trustees,  accompanied  us  to  the 
Alms-house,  nearly  three  miles  distant  from  town,  which  was 
erected  four  years  ago,  at  the  expense  of  the  state  of  Mary 
land.  The  house  consists  in  a  centre  building,  composed  of  the 
dwelling  of  the  superintendent,  office,  and  store-house;  farther  off 
are  two  insulated  wings,  the  one  for  the  men,  the  other  for  the  fe 
males  and  children.  The  latter  are  brought  to  the  Alms-house 
by  their  parents,  or  they  are  the  children  of  disorderly  parents 
taken  up  by  public  authority.  Several  of  the  paupers  are  in 
trusted  with  the  care  of  these  unfortunate  creatures;  two  school 
masters,  who,  by  drunkenness,  had  been  reduced  to  beggary,  and 
lived  as  paupers  in  the  house,  taught  them  to  read  and  write.  I 
observed,  with  regret,  that  they  were  both  armed  with  whips.  The 
poor  sleep  in  large  airy  rooms,  the  sick  excepted,  who  are  in 
separate  infirmaries  situated  in  the  wings  of  the  building;  each 
one  has  a  separate  bed.  Some  infirm  females  only  were  in  sepa 
rate  apartments,  where  three  or  four  occupied  one  room.  Each 
wing  has  three  stories  and  one  under  ground,  containing  the. 
kitchen,  the  wash-house,  and  bake-house;  the  bread  used  here  is 
white  and  very  good.  Their  meals  are  excellent:  four  times  a 
week  they  have  meat,  twrice  vegetables;  and  on  Fridays,  as  there 
are  many  Catholics,  herrings.  The  building  contains  two  large 
court-yards,  with  all  the  shops  necessary  for  several  mechanics, 
a  large  kitchen  garden  and  all  its  dependencies  of  husbandry.  It 
is  situated  on  an  elevated  ground  of  cleared  woods,  a  considera 
ble  number  of  acres  of  land  appertaining  to  it,  are  cultivated  by 
the  poor.  They  are  employed  according  to  their  strength  and 
capacity,  particularly  in  working  for  the  house  and  in  making 
their  clothes.  All  the  articles  not  used  by  the  establishment  are 
sold.  Every  poor  person  on  entering  the  house,  is  shorn,  takes 
a  bath,  and  is  clothed.  For  his  clothes  he  becomes  a  debtor  to 
the  establishment,  and  cannot  be  dismissed  until  he  has  paid  for 
them  by  his  labour.  The  directors  decide  at  this  time  if  such  a 
person  is  able  to  make  his  living  in  an  honest  manner,  and  resolve 
upon  his  discharge.  Those  who  conduct  themselves  ill  in  the 
house  are  punished  by  solitary  confinement.  If  they  are  sick  on 
enterjfig  the  house,  two  physicians,  who  are  attached  to  the  es 
tablishment,  visit  them  daily  and  alternately;  four  students, also, 


168 

li-om  the  medical  college  lodge  in  the  house,  and  two  of  them  arc 
constantly  present.  For  lunatics  there  arc  appropriate  cells  on 
the  ground-floor. 

-  I  was  twice  in  the  Catholic  Cathedral,  the  first  time  on  Sun 
day,  October  30th.     The  desire  of  hearing  good  music,  decided 
me  on  going  to  this  church,  and  I  had  no  occasion  to  repent  it.   At 
the  beginning  of  the  service,  I  remained  standing  near  the  door, 
but  being  perceived,  was  conducted  to  a  pew  near  the  altar.   The 
archbishop  was  sitting  on  an  elevated  chair,  under  a  canopy.   The 
music  was  particularly  good,  both  in  composition  and  execution. 
There  were  ladies  attached  to  the  choir,  and  it  was  a  lady  who 
played  the  organ.     The  charity  sermon,  by  Mr.  Wheeler,   on 
charity  and  on  the  pleasure  of  doing  good,  was  very  edifying.  This 
text  had  been  chosen  to  move  the  hearts  of  the  congregation,  in 
behalf  of  the  Catholic  poor-school.     Several  days  after,  I  return 
ed  to  the  Cathedral,  in  company  with  Mr.  Vallenilla,  (attached 
to  the  Colombian  legation,  and  who  had  lately  been  married  here,) 
to  see  Dr.  Fenwick  consecrated  bishop  of  Boston.     The.  church 
was  crowded;  it  was  with  difficulty  we  obtained  seats  in  a  gallery 
opposite  to  the  choir.     A  mass,  composed  by  Cimarosa,  was  ex 
ecuted  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  H.  Gilles,  in  a  masterly  style. 
I  do  not  remember  to  have  heard  such  goo'd  music  for  a  long  time. 
The  best  female  voices  were  those  of  Mrs.  French,  Mrs.  Gilles, 
and  Miss  Olivia  Donaldson,  sister-in-law  to  Mr.  Vallenilla.  The 
ceremony  lasted  very  long.     I  remained  from  ten   o'clock  until 
two,  P.  M.  and  then  left  the  church;  the  service  continued  until 
three  o'clock.     The  archbishop  himself  officiated,  in  pontijica- 
libus,  with  a  mitre  of  cloth  of  gold  and  his  gilded  crosier-stafF. 
He  was  served  by  the.  bishops  of  Charleston  and  Philadelphia, 
who  wore  mitres  of  cloth  of  silver.     The  first,  Mr.  England,  de 
livered  a  long  sermon,  with  a  strong  Irish  accent,  of  which  I 
did  not  understand  much,  except  that  he  drew  a  comparison  be 
tween  a  republican  state  citizen  and  a  good  Catholic:  he  spoke 
with  much  vehemence,  and  was  very  declamatory.     It  is  said 
that  this  prelate  is  one  of  the  pillars  of  the  Romish  church,  in  the 
United  States. 

*  I  found  the  society  very  agreeable  in  Baltimore;  at  dinners 
every  thing  was  unceremonious,  and  the  conversation  very  in 
structive  and  lively;  the  evening  parties  afforded  excellent  music; 
the  ladies  in  general  are  very  handsome,  and  sing  very  well.     It 
was  at  one  of  these  evening  parties,  given  by  Mr.  Henry  Gilles, 
that  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  General  Bernard  and  his  lady, 
Baroness  Serchenfeld  of  Bavaria.      His  acquaintance  gave  me 
great  pleasure.    I  found  him  a  very  plain,  modest  and  investing 
man. 


169 

In  paying  Mr.  Thomas  my  parting  visit,  I  met  his  father, 
eighty-eight  years  old,  and  in  full  possession  of  his  mental  facul 
ties.  I  entertained  myself  a  long  time  with  him.  Among  other 
topics,  he  related  to  me,  that  he  had  seen  the  spot  which  the  city 
of  Baltimore  now  occupies,  a  forest  inhabited  by  Indians. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Stay  in  Washington,  from  the  2d  until  the  \5th  of  November, 

1825. 

ON  the  morning  of  the  2d  of  November  I  received  another 
visit  from  Mr.  de  Vallenilla.  He  showed  me  a  golden  medal, 
which  had  formerly  been  coined  by  the  town  of  Williamsburg 
in  Virginia,  in  honour  of  President  Washington,  and  a  very  well 
made  miniature  of  that  great  man,  painted  by  Stewart,  to  which 
was  appended  his  hair.  The  medal  was  in  a  box  made  of  wood 
from  one  of  the  trees  standing  near  Washington's  tomb.  The 
medal  and  miniature  were  intended  by  Washington's  family  as 
presents  for  President  Bolivar,  and  Mr.  de  Vallenilla  was  to  set 
off  within  a  few  days  for  Caraccas,  in  order  to  present  them  to 
his  patron,  the  liberator  Bolivar. 

In  the  public  stage  I  left  the  friendly  city  of  Baltimore,  with 
which  I  was  extremely  gratified,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Huygens, 
for  Washington,  the  seat  of  government  of  the  United  States, 
distant  thirty-nine  miles.  The  weather  was  good  and  tolerably 
warm.  The  stage  travelled  slowly,  and  we  did  not  arrive  before 
five  o'clock  in  the  evening.  The  road  was  principally  a  turn 
pike,  kept  in  a  very  good  state.  The  country  belonging  to  the 
state  of  Maryland  is  for  the  most  part  hilly,  covered  with  wood 
of  large-leaved  oak  and  pine  trees,  appearing  but  very  little  set 
tled.  The  ground  is  sandy;  the  fields  are  planted  with  Indian 
corn  and  tobacco.  The  country  is  for  the  most  part  uniform;  we 
did  not  pass  through  a  single  decent  village.  The  difFerence  be 
tween  this  country  and  the  northern  states  is  very  striking.  The 
houses  are  a  great  deal  smaller,  and  of  an  inferior  construction 
than  the  worst  log-houses  in  the  state  of  New  York.  The 
most  of  these  small  houses  are  inhabited  by  negroes,  who  gene 
rally  had  a  very  tattered  appearance.  We  crossed  several  creeks 
over  good  wooden  bridges,  and  six  miles  from  Washington,  near 
Bladensburg,  we  crossed  the  east  branch  of  the  Potomac,  by  two 
wooden  bridges.  It  was  here,  that  in  the  year  1814,  an  engage- 

VOL.  I.  22 


170 

ment  between  the  English  and  the  Americans  took  place,  in  which 
the  American  militia  is  said  to  have  displayed  no  very  great  de 
gree  of  courage.  In  consequence  of  this  affair,  the  English  march 
ed  into  Washington,  and  burned  the  capitol  and  the  President's 
house. 

I  had  not  formed  a  great  idea  of  Washington  city,  but  what  I 
saw  was  inferior  to  my  expectation.  The  capitol  stands  upon 
an  elevation,  and  is  to  be  considered  as  the  centre  of  the  future 
city.  Up  to  this  time  it  is  surrounded  but  by  inconsiderable 
houses  and  fields,  through  which  small  houses  are  also  scattered. 
From  the  capitol,  several  avenues,  planted  with  trees,  extend  in 
different  directions.  We  rode  into  the  Pennsylvania  avenue,  and 
eventually  came  to  the  houses,  which  are  built  so  far  apart  that 
this  part  of  the  city  has  the  appearance  of  a  newly-established 
watering  place.  The  adjacent  country  is  very  fine,  and  there  are 
several  fine  views  upon  the  broad  Potomac.  We  passed  by  the 
President's  house;  it  is  a  plain  building,*  of  white  marble,  situated 
in  a  small  garden. 

The  president  resides  in  the  middle  building;  the  four  others 
are  occupied  as  public  offices.  They  are  built  of  brick. 

The  plan  of  Washington  is  colossal,  and  will  hardly  ever  be 
executed.  According  to  the  plan,  it  could  contain  a  population  of 
one  million  of  inhabitants,  whilst  it  is  said  at  present  to  have  but 
thirteen  thousand.  To  be  the  capitol  of  such  a  large  country, 
Washington  lies  much  too  near  the  sea.  This  inconvenience  was 
particularly  felt  during  the  last  war.  It  has  been  proposed  to 
transfer  the  seat  of  government  to  Wheeling,  on  the  Ohio,  in 
the  western  part  of  Virginia. 

Quite  early  next  morning  I  received  a  friendly  visit  from  the 
French  minister,  Baron  Durand  de  Mareuil,  whom  I  knew  in 
Dresden,  nineteen  years  ago,  and  afterwards  as  French  minister 
at  Naples,  and  met  him  in  the  same  quality  at  Brussels.  General 
Macomb,  commander  of  the  engineer  corps  of  the  United  States, 
paid  me  a  visit,  and  I  was  much  delighted  with  his  interesting 
conversation.  Lieutenant  Huygens  also  came,  with  whom  I  rode 
to  Georgetown.  This  small  town  is  amphitheatrically  situated 
on  the  Potomac,  whose  right  bank,  covered  with  wood  and  part 
ly  cultivated,  presents  a  pleasant  view.  Georgetown  is  separated 
from  Washington,  or  rather  from  the  ground  on  which  it  is  to 
stand,  by  a  small  river  called  Rocky  Creek,  which  empties  into 
the  Potomac,  over  which  there  is  a  bad  wooden  bridge.  I  return 
ed  to  Washington  with  the  minister,  in  order  to  be  introduced  to 
several  of  the  highest  public  officers,  and  to  the  diplomatic  body. 

*  The  Duke  of  Leinster's  Palace  served  as  the  model  for  this  building;  that, 
however,  is  one  story  higher. 


171 

At  first  we  went  to  the  office  of  Mr.  Clay,  the  secretary  of  state, 
one  of  the  most  celebrated  American  orators.  He  is  a  tall,  thin 
man;  I  found  him  in  mourning  for  one  of  his  daughters,  of  whom 
he  has  had  the  misfortune  to  lose  three  in  a  short  time.  After 
wards  we  went  to  see  the  president,  who  received  us  very  kind 
ly,  and  treated  me  as  an  old  acquaintance.  The  house  of  the  pre 
sident,  as  already  mentioned,  is  built  of  white  marble.  In  the  in 
terior  there  is  a  large  hall  with  columns.  We  were  received  in 
a  handsomely  furnished  apartment.  Beautiful  bronzes  ornament 
ed  the  mantels,  and  a  full  length  portrait  of  President  Washing 
ton  hung  upon  the  wall. 

From  the  president's  house  we  went  to  the  office  of  the  war 
department,  to  visit  Mr.  Barbour,  the  secretary,  whom,  however, 
we  did  not  find,  and  thence  to  the  navy  department,  to  see  the 
secretary,  Mr.  Southard.  This  officer  is  reputed  to  be  one  of  the 
most  learned  men  in  the  United  States.  The  four  offices  are  all 
built  alike,  very  plain,  with  wooden  staircases;  their  interior  re 
sembles  a  school-house.  There  are  no  sentinels  nor  porters;  in 
the  building  for  the  war  department  a  woman  kept  a  fruit  shop. 
Even  the  president  himself  has  usually  no  sentries,  and  only  dur 
ing  the  night  the  marines  from  the  navy-yard  keep  guard  before 
his  house. 

We  next  visited  Baron  Mareuil,  and  I  was  very  glad  to  renew 
my  acquaintance  with  his  amiable  lady.  His  house  stands  quite 
insulated,  like  a  country  dwelling.  The  houses  stand  generally 
so  widely  distant  in  Washington,  that  the  plan  of  the  city  exhibits 
more  streets  than  houses.  We  made  our  last  visit  to  the  Russian 
minister,  Baron  Tuill,  and  the  English  minister,  Mr.  Vaughan, 
but  found  neither  at  home.  At  five  o'clock  I  dined  at  Baron 
Mareuil's,  who  gave  a  diplomatic  dinner  in  honour  of  the  King 
of  France's  name-day.  I  found  the  greatest  part  of  the  diplomatic 
body  assembled,  and  observed  the  French  legation,  particularly, 
was  very  numerous.  It  was  composed  of  the  consul-general  Du- 
rand  de  St.  Andre,  brother  of  the  Baron  Mareuil,  the  vice-consul 
Thierry,  the  secretary  of  the  legation  De  Bresson,  the  Count  Ga- 
nay,  and  Mr.  De  Sonntag,  a  step-son  of  the  Baron  Mareuil,  who 
was  attached  to  the  legation,  and  of  Mr.  Laborie,  who,  how 
ever,  did  not  appear.  Of  the  Russian  legation,  I  found  Mr.  De 
Wallenstein,  whom  I  had  known  in  Boston,  and  who  is  very 
much  esteemed  and  beloved  here  on  account  of  his  sensible  con 
duct  and  good  character,  but  particularly  on  account  of  his  solid 
acquirements  and  correct  views.  The  president,  it  is  said,  enter 
tains  a  high  opinion  of  him.  I  saw  likewise  Baron  Maltitz,  of 
the  same  legation,  who  married  an  American  wife  some  months 
ago,  also  the  Charge  d'Affaires  of  Brazils,  Chevalier  Rebello.  I 
also  became  acquainted  with  the  secretary  of  the  treasury,  Mr. 


172 

Rush,  who  was  for  many  years  ambassador  to  England,  and  I  met 
too  with  Mr.  Brent,  the  under  secretary  of  state.  The  ladies 
present,  were  only  Mrs.  De  Mareuil  and  Mrs.  De  St.  Andre. 
The  dinner  was  truly  splendid. 

The  number  of  our  acquaintances  soon  increased,  and  pleasant 
and  interesting  parties  ensued.  At  the  same  time  we  saw  what 
was  remarkable  in  Washington  and  its  vicinity. 

With  Messrs.  Huygens,  father  and  son,  we  rode  to  the  navy- 
yard,  which  is  under  the  command  of  a  commodore.  The 
commodore  was  just  gone  travelling,  therefore,  we  were  accom 
panied  on  our  tour  by  Captain  Booth.  In  this  navy-yard  ships 
are  only  built  and  refitted  ;  after  that  they  descend  the  Potomac 
into  the  Chesapeake  Bay,  and  go  to  Norfolk,  where  they  are 
armed.  At  the  time  of  our  visit  there  were  but  two  frigates  in 
the  yard,  called  forty-four  gun  ships,  but  mounting  sixty-four 
pieces:  the  Congress,  an  old  ship,  which  was  repairing,  and  the 
Potomac,  an  entirely  new  ship,  which  has  been  launched,  but 
subsequently  hauled  up  and  placed  under  a  roof. 

Upon  the  spot  where  the  frigate  Brandywine,  which  carried 
Gen.  La  Fayette  to  France,  was  built,  the  keel  of  a  new  frigate 
was  laid,  and  at  the  same  time  the  foundation  for  a  house  over  this 
new  ship  was  begun.  The  ground  being  very  moist,  this  build 
ing  is  erected  on  piles.  Opposite  the  entrance  of  the  navy-yard, 
stands  a  rostral  column  of  white  marble  with  allegoric  figures. 
It  was  erected  by  the  officers  and  midshipmen  of  the  navy  of  the 
United  States,  to  commemorate  the  death  of  their  comrades 
who  fell  in  the  attack  of  Tripoli.  The  English,  at  the  time  of 
their  taking  possession  of  Washington,  on  the  25th  of  June, 
1814,  broke  the  fingers  of  one  hand  belonging  to  the  allegoric 
figure  representing  America,  and  destroyed  the  stylus  in  the 
hand  of  the  muse  of  history.  This  inscription  has  been  added 
to  the  column:  "MUTILATED  BY  THE  BRITISH."  At  the  foot 
of  the  monument  stand  two  Spanish  brass  twenty -four  pounders, 
taken  by  the  Americans  at  Tripoli. 

In  this,  as  well  as  in  other  American  navy-yards,  there  arc 
several  buildings.  I  found  large  forges  where  chain-cables  are 
made,  and  tried  in  the  same  manner  I  had  witnessed  two  years 
ago  in  Newbridge,  South  Wales.  All  the  old  copper  taken  from 
the  ships  is  melted,  and  with  an  alloy  of  brass,  converted  into 
utensils  of  every  description  used  on  board  ships ;  a  steam-engine 
of  fourteen  horse-power  moves  a  saw-mill,  consisting  of  two  large 
and  several  smaller  circular  saws,  as  also,  machines  for  block- 
making,  which  however,  can  by  no  means  be  compared  with 
Brunei's  block  machine  in  Portsmouth ;  in  the  little  arsenal  are 
the  muskets,  swords,  &c.  I  observed  a  contrivance  on  the  locks 
the  guns  to  insulate  the  priming,  and  secure  it  in  damp 


173 

weather.  I  saw  also  u  kind  of  repeating  musket  with  two  locks, 
one  behind  the  other.  With  such  muskets,  by  means  of  the 
anterior  lock,  twelve  consecutive  discharges  can  be  produced, 
and  these  being  over,  the  gun  is  loaded  again  like  an  ordinary 
infantry  musket,  and  fired  by  means  of  the  lowest  lock.  After 
the  anterior  lock  is  fired,  all  the  remaining  shots  incessantly 
follow,  and  cannot  be  withheld  at  will,  as  it  is  the  case  with  the 
repeating  gun  bought  by  me  in  New  York,  already  described. 
It  is  yet  unknown  how  this  successive  firing  can  be  obtained. 
Captain  Booth  showed  me  also  double  screws  of  his  own  inven 
tion,  the  object  of  which  is  to  supply  the  place  of  ordinary  lan 
yards  for  ships.  This  officer  has  obtained  a  patent  for  his  con 
trivance,  and  it  has  been  adopted,  for  experiment,  in  the  frigate 
Brandy  wine ;  in  the  same  navy -yard  is  a  laboratory,  under  the 
arsenal,  where  the  necessary  fire-works  for  the  artillery  are 
made.  The  place  seemed  to  me  to  be  ill  chosen,  since  an  ex 
plosion  that  may  easily  happen  in  such  an  establishment,  might 
cause  most  terrible  consequences  to  the  navy-yard. 

Over  the  Potomac  there  is  a  long  wooden  bridge,  built  upon 
ordinary  cross-beams.  I  measured  it,  and  found  it  to  be  fifteen 
paces  broad,  and  one  thousand  nine  hundred  long.  My  paces 
being  to  the  ordinary  ones  in  the  relation  of  four  to  five,  it  may  be 
assumed  that  it  is  about  two  thousand  three  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  paces  in  length.  It  required  nineteen  minutes  to  walk  from 
one  end  to  the  other.  Every  foot-passenger  pays  six  cents.  This 
bridge  astonishes  by  its  length,  but  not  at  all  in  its  execution,  for 
it  is  clumsy  and  coarse.  Many  of  the  planks  are  rotten,  and  it 
is  in  want  of  repair;  it  has  two  side- walks,  one  of  them  is  sepa 
rated  from  the  road  by  a  rail.  It  is  lighted  by  night  with  lanterns. 
It  is  provided  with  two  drawbridges,  in  order  to  let  vessels  pass. 
It  grew  dark  before  I  returned  home,  and  was  surprised  at  the 
stillness  of  the  streets,  as  I  scarcely  met  an  individual. 

Patents  of  invention  are  issued  from  the  patent-office;  whoever 
wishes  to  obtain  a  patent  for  an  invention,  is  obliged  to  deliver  a 
model  or  an  accurate  drawing  of  it.  These  models  are  exposed 
in  an  appropriate  place,  where  they  remain  until  the  expiration 
of  the  time  for  which  the  patents  are  granted;  they  are  then  pul 
into  the  lumber-room.  Among  such  models,  there  certainly  is 
a  great  number  of  things  of  little  importance,  as  for  instance,  a 
contrivance  for  peeling  apples;  there  are  also  ninety-six  models 
for  making  nails  in  different  ways,  but  some  of  them  very  re 
markable.  The  most  interesting  models  of  machinery  seemed 
to  me  to  be  those  intended  to  remove  mud  from  the  bottoms  of 
rivers  and  canals,  or  to  make  them  deeper.  One  of  them  con 
sists  of  an  ordinary  steam-boat;  with  her  they  go  to  the  spot 
where  they  are  to  work;  arrived  at  the  spot  they  cast  anchor, 


174 

stop  the  two  water-wheels,  and  with  an  apparatus  which  is  moved 
by  the  engine,  draw  the  mud  from  the  bottom.  According 
to  another  model,  the  same  operation  can  be  performed  by  means 
of  a  draw-wheel.  A  great  many  models  are  intended  to  sepa 
rate  seed  from  cotton,  to  beat,  spin,  and  weave  it;  none  of  them, 
however,  are  reputed  to  be  superior  to  the  known  English 
machines. 

Of  steam-engines  and  steam-boats  there  are  a  great  many  mo 
dels  of  very  singular  form,  also  steam-boats  with  rotatory  motions; 
they  however  do  not  answer  the  purpose.  I  saw  patterns  of  rail 
ways,  and  models  of  machines  to  draw  boats  from  a  lower  canal 
into  a  higher  one,  by  help  of  an  inclined  plane.  Then  two  models 
of  floating  covered  batteries.  One  of  them  was  an  oblong  case, 
in  which  is  fixed  a  steam-engine,  giving  to  two  long  iron  bars  a 
rotatory  motion.  These  bars,  like  two  clock-hands,  projecting 
off  the  deck,  are  intended  to  keep  off  a  boarding  enemy.  A  mo 
del  to  compress  leaden  bullets,  in  order  to  give  them  more  weight. 
A  great  number  of  household  and  kitchen  apparatus,  fire-places 
of  different  descriptions,  an  earth-augur  for  seeking  water,  fire- 
engines  of  various  kinds,  a  fire-proof  roof,  contrived  by  a  Ger 
man,  several  machines  to  make  bricks,  instruments  by  means  of 
which,  in  navigating  the  Mississippi,  trees  lying  underwater  can 
be  taken  hold  of  and  sawed  to  pieces  without  stopping  the  vessel 
in  its  course,  machinery  to  bore  holes  in  rocks,  and  others  to  hoist 
rocks  out  of  water;  the  machine  contrived  in  London  by  Perkins 
to  print  with  steel;  models  of  book  printing-presses;  models  for 
combing  wool,  and  dressing  woollen  stuffs;  fan-mills;  leather 
manufacturing  instruments,  and  among  others,  an  instrument  for 
splitting  hides;  a  great  number  of  agricultural  instruments,  name 
ly,  a  great  many  ploughs  for  every  kind  of  soil,  invented  by 
Germans;  machines  for  mowing  grass,  for  thrashing  and  cutting 
straw.  Among  the  most  important  machines,  I  will  mention  one 
for  making  blocks,  which  is  considered  not  to  be  inferior  in  any 
respect  to  that  of  Brunei,  in  Portsmouth,  and  another  which  ren 
ders  steeping  of  flax  unnecessary,  and  yet  fits  it  after  fourteen 
days  drying  to  be  broken  and  heckled.  For  permission  to  take 
a  copy  of  the  machine,  one  must  pay  ten  dollars  to  the  inventor. 
I  ordered  two  copies;  one  for  the  Agricultural  Society  of  Ghent, 
and  another  to  present  to  my  father.  Several  fine  models  of 
bridges,  especially  of  hanging  ones,  among  others,  one  of  the 
bridges  in  Trenton,  near  Philadelphia,  and  another  of  that  near 
Fayetteville,  in  North  Carolina;  also  one  of  a  hanging  bridge, 
under  which  is  suspended  a  canal  passing  over  the  river.  Re 
specting  arms  I  did  not  find  much  improvement.  There  was  also 
a  triangle  of  steel,  weighing  six  pounds,  upon  which  three  different 
hammers  struck,  to  supply  the  place  of  church  bells.  This  ring- 


175 

ing  is  said  to  be  heard  at  a  great  distance.   It  has  been  introduced 
in  several  places  to  assemble  the  people. 

The  patent-office  is  in  the  same  building  with  the  post-office. 
They  pointed  out  to  me  two  large  gilt  frames  with  the  arms  of 
France  and  Navarre.  They  hung  before  the  catastrophe  of  1814, 
in  the  house  of  the  president,  and  contained  full  length  portraits 
of  Louis  XVI.  and  Marie  Antoinette,  which  were  presented  in 
1783,  by  those  unfortunate  monarchs  to  the  United  States,  at  their 
especial  desire.  Both  portraits  suddenly  disappeared,  and  it  is 
believed  that  it  happened  in  1814,  when  the  English  made  their 
unexpected  visit  to  Washington,  and  burnt  down  the  house  of  the 
president. 

The  patent-office  is  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Thornton,*  who 
is  an  able  draughtsman.  Under  Dr.  Thornton,  a  Swiss  is  em 
ployed,  whose  name  is  Keller,  a  very  able  mechanic,  and  inspec 
tor  of  the  model  room,  who  explained  every  thing  to  me.  Dr. 
Thornton  was  so  kind  as  to  accompany  me  to  a  sculptor,  who, 
by  means  of  casting  a  mould  upon  the  face,  obtains  a  striking 
resemblance,  and  has  made  busts  of  the  first  American  states 
men,  &c. 

I  arranged  a  party  to  the  Falls  of  Potomac,  with  Mr.  De  Bres 
son,  sixteen  miles  distant,  where  we  were  accompanied  by  Mr. 
Huygens,  Jr.  On  the  6th  of  November,  at  nine  o'clock,  we  left 
Washington  and  went  five  miles  upon  a  very  rough  road,  along  the 
left  bank  of  the  river,  which  is  at  first  very  broad.  Both  shores 
are  hilly  and  covered  with  wood,  for  the  most  part  hickory  and 
different  species  of  oak.  Of  the  primitive  woods  nothing  is  to  be 
seen,  for  generally  the  wood  is  second  growth.  The  banks  soon 
became  rocky,  and  we  observed  even  in  the  river  some  pro 
jecting  rocks.  On  the  left  shore  they  have  dug  a  canal,  this,  how 
ever  is  too  narrow,  and  only  navigable  by  long  boats,  resembling 
the  Durham-boats  on  the  St.  Lawrence  river.  In  these  boats, 
wood,  lumber,  stones,  especially  mill-stones,  and  the  harvest  from 
the  upper  countries,  are  carried  to  Washington. 

Five  miles  above  the  city,  we  went  over,  on  a  hanging  bridge, 
to  the  right  shore.  The  chains  consist  of  bars  of  wrought  iron. 
The  bridge  itself  is  of  wood,  as  well  as  the  two  cross-beams 
standing  on  its  extremities,  through  which  the  chains  are  passed; 
these  cross-beams  form  a  kind  of  entrance,  having  an  Egyptian 
appearance.  The  length  of  the  bridge  is  about  one  hundred  and 
sixteen  feet,  its  breadth  sixteen  feet.  A*  rather  high  toll  is  paid 
for  passing  it;  we  paid  a  dollar  and  a  half  for  a  carriage  with  two 
horses,  for  going  and  coining.  The  road,  passing  almost  inces- 

*  [Since  deceased.  His  place  is  supplied  by  Dr.  Thomas  P.  Jones,  of  Plula. 
delphia.] — TRANS. 


176 

santly  through  a  wood,  became  a  little  better  after  we  arrived  at 
the  other  side  of  the  bridge.  It  was  called  a  turnpike  road,  but 
still  it  continued  hilly.  We  passed  but  a  single  inn,  and  saw 
but  a  single  country  house,  which  belonged  to  Commodore 
Jones,  whose  daughter  became  a  Catholic  and  a  nun,  in  a  convent 
at  Georgetown;  this  occurrence  produced  a  great  sensation  in 
the  United  States.  Most  of  the  people  we  met  with,  were  tat 
tered  negroes,  who  humbly  saluted  us.  We  were  now  in  the 
state  of  Virginia,  in  the  vicinity  of  the  falls;  when  the  road  be 
came  very  bad,  we  left  our  vehicle  and  went  on  foot  through  the 
forest,  to  see  this  natural  curiosity,  whose  noise  made  us  sensible 
of  its  proximity. 

The  river  runs  here  over  a  rocky  bed,  and  is  about  three  hun 
dred  paces  wide;  in  the  dry  season  it  is  a  great  deal  narrower.  It 
forms  several  distinct  falls,  none  of  them  above  fifty  feet  high. 
They  recal  to  memory  Glenn's  Falls  on  the  Hudson,  between 
Lake  George  and  Saratoga.  We  crept  about  in  the  labyrinth  of 
broken  rocks,  not  without  danger  or  difficulty,  in  order  to  obtain 
different  views  of  these  falls.  The  sun  was  shining  upon  them 
at  the  time,  and  afforded  us  the  sight  of  several  rainbows;  we  soon 
felt  ourselves  richly  rewarded  for  our  pains. 

In  order  to  avoid  these  falls,  a  canal  with  locks  has  been  made 
on  the  right  shore.  The  canal  passing  through  the  rocks,  is  in 
some  places  dug  down  more  than  fifty  feet.  We,  unfortunately,  had 
chosen  Sunday  for  our  excursion;  the  inhabitants  were  gone  to 
church,  and  there  was  nobody  to  give  us  the  necessary  explana 
tions.  There  was  no  vegetation  on  the  rocks  about  the  falls,  ex 
cept  some  broom  and  single  clover.  We  saw  also  upon  the  rock 
a  creeping  cactus  plant,  resembling  the  cochineal  cactus,  with 
small  pear-shaped  fruit,  which  contained  a  purple-red  slimy  juice. 
This  plant  gave  me  the  first  sign  of  my  approach  to  the  south. 
We  returned  to  Washington  by  the  road  we  came.  Notwith 
standing  the  late  season,  it  was  as  warm  as  in  midsummer. 

The  capitol  is  a  really  imposing  building.  When  it  is  once 
surrounded  by  handsome  buildings,  it  will  produce  a  fine  effect. 
It  is  built  of  white  marble,  and  has  three  domes;  the  largest  is 
over  the  rotunda,  and  the  two  smaller  over  the  wings.  The  ca 
pitol  stands  on  an  acclivity,  and  in  front  is  three  stories  high,  and 
on  the  back,  which  is  opposite  the  president's  mansion,  four 
stories  high.  In  front  is  the  entrance,  with  a  portal  of  Corinthian 
columns;  on  the  back  part  there  is  a  large  balcony,  decorated 
with  columns.  The  entrance  under  the  portal  is  a  little  too  low. 

In  the  centre  of  the  building,  under  the  principal  dome  is  a 
large  circular  hall,  receiving  light  from  the  roof.  Pictures  arc 
to  be  placed  in  this  hall,  under  the  bas-reliefs.  One  of  these 
represents  the  deliverance  of  Captain  Smith,  commander  of  the 


177 

first  English  settlement  in  Virginia,  by  the  Indian  Princess 
Pocahontas;  another  is  an  allegory,  representing  the  landing  of 
European  emigrants.  Behind  this  hall  is  a  large  saloon,  conti 
guous  to  the  balcony,  which  contains  the  library  of  Congress. 
During  the  English  incursion  in  1814,  the  library  was  destroyed 
by  fire ;  the  present  library  has  been  gradually  collected  since, 
and  consists  in  great  part  of  the  late  President  Jefferson's  books. 
Under  the  large  hall  is  a  small  one,  supported  by  three  rows  of 
columns,  not  unlike  a  family  tomb.  It  receives  its  light  from 
above,  by  a  round  opening  in  the  floor  of  the  large  hall,  and 
serves  as  a  passage.  It  has  been  proposed  to  place  there  the  cof 
fin  of  the  great  WASHINGTON.  No  principal  staircase  is  yet  built, 
but  a  great  number  of  smaller  ones.  The  interior  is  altogether 
very  angular.  Columns  and  corridors  are  numerous  in  all  the 
lateral  galleries  and  saloons;  the  capitals  of  the  columns  are  mostly 
of  Egyptian  taste,  and  the  models  seem  to  have  been  taken  from 
the  "  description  de  PEgypte. "  In  the  corridor  leading  to  the  se 
nate  chamber,  are  columns,  the  shafts  of  which  represent  a  bunch 
of  stalks  of  Indian  corn,  and  the  capitals  the  fruit  of  the  same 
plant.  In  the  wings  on  the  right  hand  side  from  the  entrance,  is 
the  senate  chamber,  the  offices  belonging  to  it,  the  office  of  the 
president,  and  session  room  of  the  supreme  court  of  the  United 
States.  This,  and  the  senate  chamber,  are  built  in  a  semicircular 
form.  In  the  centre  is  a  place  for  the  presiding  officer.  The  mem 
bers  of  the  senate  have  their  seats  amphitheatrically  arranged; 
every  one  has  a  chair,  and  before  him  a  small  mahogany  desk.  In 
this  wing  are  hung  the  four  pictures  by  Trumbull,  which  are 
hereafter  to  be  placed  in  the  rotunda.  One  of  them  represents 
the  Declaration  of  Independence:  there  is  a  very  fine  engraving 
of  this  picture;  another,  the  surrender  of  General  Burgoyne  to 
General  Gates,  near  Saratoga;  the  third,  the  capitulation  at  York- 
town,  and  the  filing  off  of  the  English  between  the  American  and 
French  army ;  the  fourth,  the  resignation  of  General  Washington, 
and  laying  down  of  his  commission  to  congress  on  the  23d  of  De 
cember,  1783.  The  portraits  are  said  to  be  striking  likenesses. 
As  to  the  composition  and  execution  of  these  pictures,  the  first 
makes  one  think  of  the  pedantic  school  of  Benjamin  West,  and 
the  other  looses  by  faint  colouring.  The  painter  was,  moreover, 
placed  under  restraint  by  want  of  taste  in  his  countrymen  for  the 
fine  arts,  who  resemble,  in  that  respect,  their  English  ancestors: 
the  posture  of  almost  every  single  person  having  been  prescribed 
him. 

In  the  other  wing  of  the  building  is  the  hall  of  representatives, 
likewise  in  form  of  an  amphitheatre,  and  the  offices  belonging  to 
it.  In  this  hall  is  a  full  length  portrait  of  General  La  Fayctte.  The 
ceiling  of  this  saloon,  like  that  of  the  senate  chamber,  and  su- 

VOL.  I.  23 


178 

prcme  court  room,  is  supported  by  doric  columns,  whose  shafts 
are  of  pudding-stone.  The  gallery  above  the  principal  dome,  af 
fords  a  very  extensive  view.  The  principal  avenues  of  the  city, 
which  is  to  be  built,  all  depart  from  this  point,  and  this  view  re 
calls  the  situation  of  the  castle  at  Carlsruhe,  with  this  difference, 
that  here  no  wood,  and  but  few  houses  are  seen. 

With  the  families  de  Mareuil,  St.  Andre,  Huygens,  and  all  the 
French  legation,  we  made  an  excursion  by  water  to  Mount  Ver- 
non,  the  country-seat  of  the  great  Washington.  Mount  Vernon 
is  situated  sixteen  miles  from  the  capitol,  and  on  the  right  bank 
of  the  Potomac,  in  the  state  of  Virginia.  We  hired  a  steam-boat 
for  the  purpose,  on  board  of  which  we  went  at  half  past  ten 
o'clock,  at  Georgetown.  We  went  across  the  long  bridge  through 
an  opening  of  a  double  drawbridge,  and  steered  down  the  Po 
tomac.  Washington  remaining  on  our  left,  had  a  very  handsome 
appearance  from  the  water,  and  especially  the  cape,  named  Green- 
leaf's  point,  situated  at  the  junction  of  the  east  branch  with  the 
Potomac,  which  is  fortified,  and  contains  very  spacious  store 
houses.  Eight  miles  below  Washington,  we  stopped  at  the  city 
of  Alexandria,  lying  on  the  right  bank  of  this  river,  in  order  to 
obtain  a  boat  for  landing  at  Mount  Vernon.  Alexandria  is  one 
of  the  three  cities  of  the  district  of  Columbia,  which  are  Wash 
ington,  Georgetown,  and  Alexandria.  This  town  is  said  to  have 
a  considerable  commerce;  it  has  a  harbour  with  wooden  wharves, 
near  which  I  saw  several  schooners  lying,  and  also  two  brigs.  It 
is  said  to  contain  about  eight  thousand  inhabitants.  The  streets 
are  long  and  very  straight,  crossing  each  other  at  right  angles. 
After  a  stay  of  twenty  minutes,  we  continued  our  course.  Both 
banks  are  hilly,  in  some  places  rocky;  there  is  a  great  deal  of 
gravel,  and  they  are  covered  with  wood.  At  a  winding  of  the 
stream  we  passed  by  Fort  Washington,  recently  built  upon  a  rock 
on  the  left  bank,  commanding  the  stream  with  its  batteries.  In 
an  oblique  direction  on  the  opposite  shore,  we  at  last  perceived 
Mount  Vernon,  beautifully  situated.  The  water  near  the  banks 
being  very  low,  the  steam-boat  stopped  in  the  middle  of  the 
stream,  about  a  mile  from  the  shore,  and  we  landed  in  boats.  We 
ascended  by  a  very  bad  road  to  a  place  where  cattle  were  graz 
ing,  which  I  heard  was  formerly  Washington's  garden.  Between 
three  oaks  and  some  cypress  trees,  we  saw  a  coarse  wooden  door 
about  four  feet  high,  in  a  very  bad  piece  of  masonry.  I  thought 
at  first  it  was  a  spring-house.  How  great  was  my  astonishment, 
when  I  learned  that  this  was  the  entrance  to  the  sepulchral  vault 
of  the  greatest  man  of  his  time;  the  ornament  of  his  age;  of 
WASHINGTON! 

1  picked  up  some  acorns  fallen  from  the  trees  which  shaded 
the  tomb;  my  object  was  to  plant  them  when  I  returned  home. 


179 

I  took  also  from  this  sacred  spot  a  twig  of  a  cypress  tree.  The 
tomb  is  no  longer  opened,  since  strangers  have  nearly  cut  to 
pieces  the  whole  of  the  pall  covering  the  coffin,  in  order  to  pre 
serve  it  as  a  relic.  It  was  last  opened  at  the  time  of  General  La 
Fayette's  visit. 

Thence  we  went  to  the  dwelling-house,  about  three  hundred 
paces  distant,  and  situated  on  a  hill,  from  which  there  is  an  ex 
tremely  fine  view  of  the  Potomac.  This  estate  belongs  to 
Judge  Washington,  who,  being  absent  upon  business  connected 
with  his  office  the  greatest  part  of  the  year,  permits  his  inherited 
property  to  decay  very  much.  He  has  no  children.  The  house 
is  two  stories  high,  built  of  wood,  and  without  taste.  On  the  side 
next  the  river,  it  has  a  piazza,  and  on  the  other,  is  the  entrance 
with  stone  steps,  which  are  almost  decayed.  By  means  of  a 
wooden  colonacle,  the  house  communicates  right  and  left  with 
the  wings  and  household  buildings.  Farther  on,  are  houses  for 
negro  slaves,  of  whose  dirty,  ugly,  and  ragged  children,  we  saw 
a  great  many  running  about.  It  being  Sunday,  we  had  much  dif 
ficulty  in  finding  access  to  the  house;  at  last  we  succeeded  in  get 
ting  into  the  lower  story,  which  has  been  left  nearly  in  the  same 
condition  it  was  at  the  decease  of  its  great  possessor.  But  the 
number  of  books  belonging  to  the  library,  has  been  increased  by 
many  new  works  by  the  present  proprietor.  A  great  many  fine 
engravings  decorate  the  walls,  especially  a  very  handsome  Louis 
XVI.  which  Washington  was  presented  with  by  that  unfortunate 
monarch.  On  the  gilt  frame  above,  are  the  arms  of  France,  and 
below,  those  of  Washington's  family.  In  the  four  corners  are  the 
cyphers  of  the  king  and  G.  W.  There  are  also  two  very  good 
engravings,  representing  the  battle  of  Bunker's  Hill,  and  the 
death  of  General  Montgomery;  four  views  of  the  attack  of  Gib 
raltar  and  its  defence,  and  a  miniature  portrait  of  the  great  man 
painted  on  enamel.  One  of  the  keys  of  the  Bastille,  sent  after  its 
destruction  by  General  La  Fayette  to  Washington,  is  exposed  in 
a  case  of  glass,  under  it  is  a  sepia  drawing  of  the  demolition  of 
that  prison.  The  furniture  and  other  regulations  of  the  rooms,  are 
very  plain;  in  the  eating-room  I  observed  a  valuable  chimney- 
piece  of  Italian  marble,  with  handsome  bas-reliefs,  and  two  co 
lumns  of  gallo-antico. 

It  is  known  that  when  General  La  Fayette  was  visiting  Wash 
ington's  burial  place,  an  eagle  made  his  appearance  in  the  air  and 
hovered  over  the  spot  until  the  general  had  proceeded  farther.  We 
also  observed  to  day  a  very  large  one,  which  seemed  to  observe 
us  from  the  height;  we  saw  him  above  us  when  we  were  em 
barking.  He  seemed  to  hover  over  the  same  spot  for  a  long 
while,  and  when  the  last  boat  came  near  the  steam-boat,  he  sud 
denly  left  the  place,  flew  towards  the  wood,  and  was  lost  to  sight. 


180 

In  our  travelling  company,  I  became  acquainted  with  Count 
Miot,  who  had  formerly  been  minister  of  the  interior  in  Naples, 
and  afterwards  in  Spain,  under  Joseph  Buonaparte,  and  now  was 
travelling  for  pleasure,  and  to  visit  his  ancient  master.  Mr.  De 
Mareuil  detained  all  the  gentlemen  of  our  party  to  dinner  at  his 
house,  and  we  remained  there  till  ten  o'clock,  very  much  pleas 
ed.  At  a  ball  given  by  Baron  Mareuil,  more  than  two  hundred 
persons,  the  members  of  the  diplomatic  body,  the  first  au 
thorities  of  the  country,  and  the  principal  inhabitants,  were 
present.  I  met  with  General  Bernard,  and  became  acquainted 
with  General  Brown,  an  aged  man,  whose  right  side  appeared  to 
be  palsied.  The  most  interesting  acquaintances  I  made,  were 
those  of  Commodore  Porter,  whose  name,  as  well  as  the  impor 
tant  services  he  rendered  to  his  country,  and  his  late  trial,  have 
rendered  him  known  to  the  world,  and  of  Colonel  Roberdeau,  of 
the  engineers.  I  became  farther  'acquainted  with  Mr.  Calvert, 
who  told  me  his  son  had  studied  in  Gottingen  and  had  some  time 
ago  travelled  to  Weimar,  where  he  was  presented  at  court  and 
was  very  well  received.  The  ladies  were  very  elegantly  dress 
ed,  and  danced  very  well.  They  danced  mostly  French  quadrilles, 
but  always  with  the  same  figures.  The  music  was  good,  and  by 
the  marine  band  of  the  garrison.  The  ball,  however,  did  not  last 
long;  I  was  one  of  the  last  to  go,  and  came  home  at  eleven 
o'clock.  The  president  was  not  there;  he  does  not  accept  any 
invitation  in  the  city.  The  present  president  receives  even  the 
foreign  ministers  only  when  they  have  been  announced  by  the 
secretary  of  state.  The  president  is  likewise  exempt  from  re 
turning  visits,  which  he  had  already  the  kindness  to  give  me 
notice  of  by  Mrs.  Sullivan,  in  Baltimore. 

Another  ball  was  given  by  General  Brown,  in  honour  of  the 
marriage  of  Captain  Gardner,  of  the  fourth  regiment  of  artillery. 
The  gentlemen  I  found  there  were  mostly  officers  of  the  army. 
There  is  scarcely  an  army  in  Europe  in  which  the  corps  of  offi 
cers  is  better  composed  than  in  the  small  American  army;  since 
in  the  United  States  no  one  can  on  any  account  be  an  officer,  if 
he  is  not  well  educated.  The  officers  are  exclusively  taken  from 
the  military  academy  in  West  Point;  no  subaltern  officer  is  pro 
moted.  The  greater  part  of  the  inferior  officers  who  were  ad 
vanced  during  the  last  war,  had  been  dismissed.  Such  a  measure 
is  m  this  country  unavoidably  necessary,  where  none  but  people 
of  the  lowest  class  enlist  as  soldiers  in  the  army;  without  such  an 
interval  between  the  officers  and  the  rank  and  file,  discipline  could 
not  be  maintained.  Therefore,  if  a  young  man  is  seen  in  the  uni 
form  of  an  American  officer,  it  may  with  confidence  beinferred  that 
he  is  m  every  respect  fit  to  maintain  his  place  in  the  best  society. 

At  the  third  ball,  given  by  Mr.  Huygens,  we  once  more  met 


181 

with  a  very  pleasant  company.  I  conversed  a  long  time  with  Lieu 
tenant  Wolf  Tone,  of  the  first  regiment  of  artillery.  He  is  an 
Irishman  by  birth,  educated  in  a  French  military  school.  He 
had  been  formerly  in  the  French  service,  and  is  patronised  by 
General  Bernard. 

At  a  visit  I  made  to  General  Macomb  and  Major  Vandeven- 
ter,  at  the  war-office,  the  general  showed  me  many  drawings  and 
plans  of  fortresses  and  entrenchments,  together  with  two  remark 
able  lists  sent  in  every  month  from  West  Point  by  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Thayer.  One  of  them  contains  the  names  of  the  best  and 
worst  cadets  in  every  class,  and  the  other  the  names  of  those 
who  deserve  to  be  rewarded,  as  well  of  others  who  have  been 
punished,  with  indication  of  their  faults;  finally,  of  those  who 
have  been  expelled,  and  the  reason  of  their  expulsion.  Both  lists 
are  put  in  frames,  under  glass,  and  hung  up  in  the  general's  office; 
one  is  changed  every  fortnight,  and  the  other  every  month.  I  was 
told  by  the  general,  that  they  saved  him  frequently  from  wasting 
conversation  with  the  parents  of  the  cadets. 

The  general  conducted  me  also  to  the  topographical  office,  be 
ing  under  the  direction  of  Colonel  Roberdeau.  I  found  there 
several  repeating  circles,  theodolites  and  telescopes,  made  by 
Troughton  and  Ramsden;  also  two  transit  instruments,  destined 
for  the  observatory  which  is  still  to  be  built;  an  instrument  by 
Troughton,  which  serves  for  measuring  the  ten-thousandth  part  of 
an  English  inch,  and  a  model  measure  of  the  English  yard, 
French  metre  and  litre.  This  gentleman  regretted  that  the  old 
English  measures  and  weights  are  retained  in  the  United  States, 
instead  of  adopting,  as  it  has  been  done  in  the  Netherlands,  the 
new  French  standard,  which  is  much  better. 

There  were  also  several  good  plans  of  battles  and  sieges  of  the 
revolutionary  war,  namely,  those  of  the  old  fortresses  Ticonde- 
roga  and  Crownpoint,  on  Lake  Champlain.  I  missed  the  most 
recent  drawings.  On  the  other  hand,  General  Macomb  showed 
me  what  they  call  the  Indian  department,  where  all  business  with 
the  Indian  tribes  is  attended  to.  There  we  found  portraits  of  a 
great  many  Indian  chiefs,  and  several  of  their  wives,  who  have 
been  at  different  periods  in  Washington,  in  order  to  compliment 
the  president.  They  then  receive  medals  according  to  their  rank, 
which  they  wear  by  a  riband  round  the  neck.  There  were  also 
several  weapons  and  different  ornaments  of  tribes  I  had  already 
seen.  Finally,  I  visited  the  ordnance  department,  which  is  un 
der  the  direction  of  a  colonel.  I  saw  here  a  gun  invented  by  Mr. 
Hall,  at  Harper's  Ferry,  which  is  loaded  from  the  breech,  and 
with  which  five  sure  shots  can  be  made  in  a  minute.  With  this 
gun,  three  thousand  discharges  had  been  made,  and  it  has  proved 


182 

very  exact;  several  have  been  ordered,  and  one  or  two  companies 
are  to  be  armed  with  them  in  case  of  war. 

.  At  a  dinner  given  by  thepresident,  and  at  which  I  had  the  honour 
along  with  about  forty  persons,  to  be  present,  were  the  diplo 
matic  body,  the  state  secretaries,  several  generals,  and  other  per 
sons  of  distinction.  Among  them,  I  made  the  acquaintance  of  Mr. 
Gaillard,*  of  North  Carolina,  president  pro  tern,  of  the  senate. 
No  ladies  were  present,  because  Mrs.  Adams  was  not  well. 
The  table  furniture  was  very  rich.  I  was  particularly  pleased 
with  a  service  of  silver  gilt.  The  eating-room  is  very  spacious, 
besides  which  there  were  two  richly  furnished  rooms  open.  I 
remarked  several  handsome  Sevres,  porcelain  vessels,  and  a 
marble  bust  of  the  great  Washington,  by  the  Italian  sculptor 
Ceracchi,  who  was  afterwards  shot  in  Paris,  on  account  of  a  con 
spiracy  against  Napoleon's  life.  A  great  chandelier  was  remark 
ably  fine;  it  was  made  for  the  Emperor  Napoleon,  and  purchased 
in  the  year  1815,  by  the  American  minister  in  Paris.  The  im 
perial  eagles  now  pass  for  American. 

General  Brown,t  during  a  visit,  showed  me  a  large  gold  me 
dal  which  was  presented  to  him  by  congress,  on  account  of  his 
services  in  the  late  war.  On  one  side  of  it  is  a  bust  of  the 
general,  and  on  the  other  a  trophy  of  English  arms  surrounding 
a  fasces.  Four  shields  bear  the  names,  Sackett's  Harbour,  Nia 
gara,  Chippewa,  and  Erie,  with  the  dates  on  which  these  places 
witnessed  the  general's  deeds.  At  the  foot  of  the  trophy  an  Ame 
rican  eagle  is  represented,  holding  in  his  talons  an  English  ban 
ner.  This  medal  is  not  intended  to  be  worn:  the  general  pre 
serves  it  in  a  box.  The  American  citizens  are  not  allowed  to 
wear  any  foreign  decorations;  even  General  Bernard  was  obliged 
to  lay  aside  those  he  had  so  truly  merited.  General  Brown 
showed  me  also  a  gold  box,  presented  to  him  by  the  city  of  New 
York,  together  with  the  freedom  of  the  city. 

On  the  14th  of  November  I  began  to  make  farewell  visits,  for 
the  dwellings  in  Washington  are  so  far  distant,  that  such  visits 
require  a  great  deal  of  time.  On  this  occasion,  I  had  a  long  con 
versation  with  the  secretary  of  war,  Mr.  Barbour,  and  gene 
ral  Macomb,  on  military  subjects.  I  differed  in  opinion  from 
the  secretary  about  the  efficiency  of  militia  men,  of  whom  he, 
as  their  former  general, $  seemed  to  entertain  too  high  an  opi 
nion.  At  Mr.  de  Wallenstein's  I  saw  some  good  instruments; 
a  barometer  for  measuring  heights,  and  a  telescope  which  he  had 
adopted  as  a  transit-instrument  I  found  there  also  Krusenstern's 

*  Since  dead,  t  [Since  dead.] -TRANS. 

commanded  the  militia  when  Governor  of  Virginia. 


183 

large  Atlas  of  the  South  Sea,  a  fine  work  on  bad  paper.  Mr.  de 
Wallenstein  had  translated  an  astronomical  work  from  the  Spa 
nish  into  English;  he  had  also  an  English  copy  of  the  illustra- 
trations  of  Gothe's  Faust  laid  open.  With  General  Bernard  I 
conversed  for  a  long  while  on  the  science  of  military  engineer 
ing.  He  told  me  he  had  served  at  the  defence  of  two  for 
tresses,  and  obtained  the  experience,  that  there  can  be  no 
strong  defence,  without  having  covered  works  on  the  front 
of  attack.  Respecting  coast  batteries,  he  was  of  opinion  that 
the  best  were  those  which  had  at  least  an  elevation  of  thirty 
feet  above  the  surface  of  the  water,  in  order  that  the  re 
bounding  shots  coming  from  ships  should  not  attain  the 
breastwork.  He  considered  the  establishments  for  military  in 
struction  in  this  country  susceptible  of  great  improvements.  He 
had  proposed  to  establish  a  military  exercise  school,  to  which 
should  be  alternately  sent  battalions  of  infantry,  and  companies 
of  artillery;  this  proposition  has  not  been  adopted.  The  gene 
ral  said  also  a  great  deal  about  the  importance  of  Anvers,  and 
gave  me  many  interesting  explanations  of  Napoleon's  designs  in 
fortifying  that  place. .  Finally,  the  conversation  turned  on  the  bat 
tle  of  Waterloo,  at  which  the  General  had  been  present  as  aid  to 
the  Emperor.  Tears  came  into  the  eyes  of  this  gallant  man, 
while  speaking  of  his  former  master. 

On  the  last  day  of  my  stay  in  Washington,  I  took  a  ride  with 
Messrs.  Huygens,  and  Mr.  de  Bresson;  we  went  to  the  marine 
barracks,  where,  by  order  of  the  secretary  of  war,  experiments 
with  Hall's  muskets  were  to  be  made.  Mr.  Hall,  who  is  inspec- 
I  tor  of  the  gun  manufactory  at  Harper's  Ferry,  was  present  him 
self. 

Experiments  were  made  on  the  celerity  of  firing;  Mr.  Hall 
fired  with  his  gun,  and  the  sergeant  major  of  the  marines  with 
an  ordinary  infantry  musket.  The  last  could  make  but  four 
j  shots  in  a  minute;  whilst  Mr.  Hall  made  six.  He  has  also  ap- 
i  plied  his  invention  to  ordinary  infantry  muskets  and  rifles,  and 
s  caused  them  to  be  constructed  at  Harper's  Ferry.  They  cost 
I  the  government  eighteen  dollars  a  piece.  An  essential  improve- 
i!  ment  would  be  to  introduce  percussion  fire-locks.  Moreover 
!  these  arms  can  only  be  given  into  the  hands  of  very  well  exer- 
j  cised  men.  The  government  intends  to  arm  the  left  wing  com- 
j  panics  with  them.  For  the  riflemen  or  light  infantry,  this  gun 
j  seems  to  be  very  well  suited.  I  expressed  a  desire  that  Mr.  Hall 
j  would  make  such  a  gun  for  me;  but  he  replied,  that  being  in  the 
i  service  of  the  government,  he  was  not  allowed  to  make  any 
\  without  particular  permission  of  the  secretary  of  war.  The  few 
I  marines  in  quarters  were  paraded  under  the  command  of  a  Lieu- 
|  tenant,  and  I  was  received  with  music  and  presented  arms. 


184 

The  whole  of  the  marine  corps  is  composed  of  but  seven  hun 
dred  men,  who  were  employed  on  board  the  squadrons  in  the 
Mediterranean  Sea,  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  and  in  the  South  Sea,  to 
serve  on  board  the  receiving  ships,  and  in  the  navy  yards  of 
Boston,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Washington  and  Norfolk. 
Hopes  were  entertained,  that  the  next  congress  would  consent  to 
augment  this  corps  to  the  number  of  fifteen  hundred  men,  and 
this  augmentation  would,  no  doubt,  have  a  great  influence  on  the 
improvement  of  the  service. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

Departure  from  Washington. — Fredericktown. — Harper's 
Ferry. — Blue  Ridge. — Staunton. — Natural  Bridge.— 
Wier^s  Cave,. — C harlot teville. —  University  of  Virginia. 
—Monticello.  — Richmond.  — Jamestown.  — Norfolk.  — Fort 
Monroe. — Fayetteville. — Columbia. 

ON  the  15th  of  November,  I  set  out  from  Washington  with 
Mr.  Huygens,  jr.,  who  was  desirous  of  accompanying  me  by  per 
mission  of  his  father.  I  had  hired  a  carriage  with  four  horses  to 
Harper's  Ferry,  about  fifty  miles  from  Washington,  where  we 
were  to  arrive  in  two  days.  The  road  was  for  some  miles  very 
good,  but  afterwards  it  became  bad  and  rugged  and  continued  so 
the  rest  of  the  day.  We  left  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  again 
entered  the  state  of  Maryland.  The  country  through  which  we 
were  passing  was  hilly,  covered  with  wood,  and  in  some  places 
cultivated;  single  large'  houses  belonging  to  tobacco  planters, 
and  in  their  vicinity  small  ones  for  the  negro  slaves,  were  scat 
tered  here  and  there.  We  went  through  only  one  decent  place 
called  Rocksville.  About  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening  we  reach 
ed  an  inn  called  ScholPs  tavern,  situated  in  the  township  of 
Clarksburg,  distant  from  Washington  twenty-five  miles. 

Next  morning  we  left  Clarksburg;  it  was  pretty  cool,  and  the 
road  as  rough  as  before.  It  was  fifteen  miles  to  Fredericktown, 
over  d.  hilly  and  rocky  country.  Sometimes  we  saw  handsome 
prospects  on  the  mountains  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  which  we  were 
approaching.  The  houses  that  we  passed  by,  were  like  those  of 
yesterday;  the  negro  houses  mostly  of  wood,  with  clumsy  chim- 
nies,  built  close  to  the  house.  The  Monocacy  river  we  passed 
at  a  ford  within  four  miles  of  Fredericktown.  This  is  one  of 
the  principal  places  in  the  state  of  Maryland,  and  is  situated  in 


185 

a  well  cultivated  country  surrounded  by  hills.  It  has  about 
five  thousand  inhabitants,  and  is  built  very  regularly.  At  the 
entrance  of  one  of  the  streets  stood  a  wooden  triumphal  arch  raised 
in  honour  of  General  LaFayette.  The  inscriptions  were  already 
nearly  effaced  by  the  weather.  I  had  hardly  alighted  at  the  tavern, 
when  I  received  a  visit  from  a  clergyman  of  this  place  named 
Dr.  Schaeffer,  a  son  of  a  preacher  of  the  same  name  in  Philadel 
phia.  This  gentleman  accompanied  me  to  see  Mr.  Schley,whom 
I  had  known  in  Saratoga,  and  afterwards  we  went  to  a  Lutheran 
church,  a  very  plain  building.  We  ascended  the  spire  in  order 
to  have  a  view  of  the  town  and  surrounding  country.  The 
country  appeared  to  be  very  well  cultivated;  their  principal  ag 
ricultural  object  is  tobacco.  There  are  four  churches,  Lutheran, 
Reformed,  Catholic  and  Methodist.  The  public  buildings  are 
the  Court-house  and  prison. 

Harper's  Ferry  was  yet  twenty-one  miles  distant  from  Fredc- 
ricktown.  The  country  grew  at  every  moment  more  hilly,  and  the 
road  rugged  and  worse;  as  we  were  approaching  the  Blue  Ridge, 
we  often  alighted  and  walked.  We  met  with  several  herds  and 
flocks,  which  are  driven  from  the  western  states  to  different  sea 
ports  for  sale.  The  -wagons  we  met  were  generally  carrying 
products  of  the  west;  they  were  large  wagons  with  five  stout 
horses.  Every  horse  had  on  its  collar  a  set  of  bells,  consisting 
of  five  different  tones,  which  made  a  very  singular  music. 

Meanwhile,  our  road  passed  mostly  through  forest ;  we  went 
through  but  a  single  insignificant  village  called  Newton.  The 
mountains  grew  higher  and  more  rocky.  At  last  we  came  again 
to  the  Potomac,  which  we  had  left  the  day  before,  and  enjoyed 
many  fine  views. 

This  country  reminded  me  of  Pranen,  near  Dresden.  It  was 
night  when  we  arrived  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Potomac,  opposite 
to  Harper's  Ferry;  we  were  obliged  to  wait  for  a  considerable 
length  of  time  for  the  ferry-boat.  When  this  came,  we  saw  it 
was  conducted  by  an  intoxicated  negro;  even  the  ferry-boat 
itself  was  very  bad;  however,  we  fortunately  crossed  the  shallow 
river,  passing  amidst  pieces  of  rocks,  and  perceived  at  some  dis 
tance  up,  three  piers  standing  in  the  river,  on  which  the  next 
year,  a  bridge  was  to  be  built.  Having  crossed,  we  came  into 
the  state  of  Virginia.  At  Harper's  Ferry,  we  took  our  lodgings 
in  a  neat  tavern ;  and  I  had  here  the  pleasure  to  see  Dr.  Weise, 
from  Dresden,  who,  as  soon  as  he  knew  I  had  arrived,  came  to 
see  me.  I  take  the  liberty  of  inserting  here  the  following  de 
scription  of  this  country,  by  THOMAS  JEFFEBSON,  in  his  "  Notes 
on  the  State  of  Virginia." 

"The  passage  of  the  Potomac  through  the  Blue  Ridge  is  per 
haps  one  of  the  most  stupendous  scenes  in  nature.  You  stand 

VOL.  I.  24 


186 

on  a  very  high  point  of  land.  On  your  right  comes  up  the  She- 
nandoah,  having  ranged  along  the  foot  of  the  mountain  an  hun 
dred  miles  to  seek  a  vent.  On  your  left  approaches  the  Potomac, 
in  quest  of  a  passage  also.  In  the  moment  of  their  junction  they 
rush  together  against  the  mountain,  rend  it  asunder,  and  pass  off 
to  the  sea.  The  first  glance  of  this  scene  hurries  our  senses 
into  the  opinion,  that  this  earth  has  been  created  in  time,  that  the 
mountains  were  formed  first,  that  the  rivers  began  to  flow  after 
wards,  that  in  this  place  particularly  they  have  been  dammed 
up  by  the  Blue  Ridge  of  mountains,  and  have  formed  an  ocean 
which  filled  the  whole  valley  ;  that  continuing  to  rise  they  have 
at  length  broken  over  at  this  spot,  and  have  torn  the  mountain 
down  from  its  summit  to  its  base.  The  piles  of  rock  on  each 
hand,  but  particularly  on  the  Shenandoah,  the  evident  marks  of 
their  disrupture  and  avulsion  from  their  beds,  by  the  most  pow 
erful  agents  of  nature,  corroborate  the  impression.  But  the  dis 
tant  finishing  which  nature  has  given  to  the  picture,  is  of  a  very 
different  character.  It  is  a  true  contrast  to  the  foreground.  It 
is  as  placid  and  delightful,  as  that  is  wild  and  tremendous.  For 
the  mountain  being  cloven  asunder,  she  presents  to  your  eye, 
through  the  cleft,  a  small  catch  of  smooth  blue  horizon,  at  an 
infinite  distance  in  the  plain  country,  inviting  you,  as  it  were, 
from  the  riot  and  tumult  roaring  around,  to  pass  through  the 
breach  and  participate  of  the  calm  -below.  Here  the  eye  ulti 
mately  composes  itself;  and  that  way  too  the  road  happens  actu 
ally  to  lead.  You  cross  the  Potomac  above  the  junction,  pass 
along  its  side  through  the  base  of  the  mountain  for  three  miles, 
its  terrible  precipices  hanging  in  fragments  over  you,  and  within 
about  twenty  miles  reach  Fredericktown,  and  the  fine  country 
round  that.  This  scene  is  worth  a  voyage  across  the  Atlantic. 
Yet  here,  as  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Natural  Bridge,  are 
people  who  have  passed  their  lives  within  half  a  dozen  miles,  and 
have  never  been  to  survey  these  monuments  of  a  war  between 
rivers  and  mountains,  which  must  have  shaken  the  earth  itself  to 
its  centre." 

t  The  morning  after  my  arrival  at  Harper's  Ferry,  I  visited  Mr. 
Stubbersfield,  director  of  the  gun  manufactory,  to  whom  I  was 
recommended  by  the  secretary  of  war,  and  he  showed  me  the 
establishments  under  his  orders.  The  workshops  are  in  seven 
large  stone  buildings,  of  which  the  interior  partitions,  with  regret 
be  it  spoken,  are  of  wood.  The  buildings  stand  in  rows,  four  at 
the  foot  of  the  mountain,  and  opposite  to  them,  three  on  the  bank 
of  the  Potomac.  At  the  entrance  of  the  street  which  they  form, 
is  Mr.  Stubbersfield's  office,  from  which  he  can  overlook  the 
entrances  of  all  the  buildings.  The  machines  are  moved  by 
water-wheels.  All  the  buildings  are  two  stories  high ;  in  the 


187 

lower  part  are  the  forges,  and  in  the  higher  stories,  workmen 
who  use  no  fire  in  their  work.  In  the  working  of  iron  I  saw 
nothing  new.  The  iron  employed  for  barrels,  comes  from  Ju- 
niata,  in  the  state  of  Pennsylvania,  and  is  in  plates,  of  which 
each  is  calculated  for  one  barrel.  The  steel  is  German,  called 
Halbach's  steel,  furnished  by  Mr.  Halbach,  of  Philadelphia. 
Every  gun  must  pass  through  one  hundred  and  twenty  hands 
before  it  is  ready.  A  particular  workman  is  appointed  for  every 
part  and  paid  for  it  separately,  when  the  work  has  been  duly 
examined,  and  proved  to  be  good.  A  skilful  and  diligent  work 
man  can  gain  two  dollars  per  day.  When  the  workmen  have 
prepared  all  the  parts  of  a  fire-lock,  they  deliver  them  to  a  man 
who  examines,  tries  them,  and  puts  them  together.  The  barrels 
are  turned  by  means  of  rings,  which  can  be  rendered  smaller  or 
larger.  The  machinery  for  making  gun-stocks  was  the  most 
interesting  to  me,  because  it  was  formerly  a  very  laborious 
work.  A  piece  of  iron  is  screwed  upon  a  piece  of  wood,  which 
has  been  made  in  the  form  of  a  stock,  at  the  place  where  the 
barrel  is  to  be  placed.  After  this  the  piece  is  screwed  into  the 
machinery  ;  in  a  parallel  direction  to  it  a  piece  of  iron  is  screwed, 
having  the  same  form  that  is  to  be  given  to  the  stock.  The 
planing  is  performed  by  means  of  a  wheel,  to  which  are  adapt 
ed  ledge-planes.  The  operation  begins  with  the  muzzle,  and 
ends  with  the  breech  of  the  gun.  The  gun-stock  moves  together 
with  the  iron  model,  each  round  its  axis,  having  a  parallel  direc 
tion  with  the  axis  of  a  plain  wheel  of  brass,  which  is  rubbing  on 
the  iron  model,  and  following  all  its  prominences  and  cavities. 
This  wheel  is  also  put  in  motion  and  drawn  towards  the  breech  by 
means  of  an  endless  screw ;  during  this  motion  it  planes  the  gun- 
stock  off,  and  gives  it  the  proper  form.  This  operation  lasts  six  or 
seven  minutes,  and  there  is  nothing  to  prevent  it  from  turning  at 
the  same  time  another  gun-stock  on  the  other  side.  The  gun- 
stock  being  duly  formed,  is  taken  out  of  the  machinery,  and 
another  put  in  its  place ;  then  the  iron  piece  is  taken  away  from 
the  turned  gun-stock,  it  is  fixed  in  a  cramp,  and  applied  to  a 
bore-plane  for  making  the  groove  to  receive  the  barrel. 

This  manufactory,  and  that  of  Springfield,  the  only  ones  be 
longing  to  the  government,  furnishes  at  present  in  time  of  peace, 
fifteen  thousand  guns  yearly.  These  guns  are  generally  brown 
ed  by  the  process  indicated  by  Dupin,  also,  the  rings  and  bayo 
nets,  the  last  of  which  are  kept  bright  by  the  British. 

Mr.  Stubbersfield  conducted  me  also  to  the  arsenal,  in  which 
the  finished  muskets  are  delivered,  and  are  either  here  preserved, 
or  packed  up  in  cases  by  twenty,  and  sent  to  other  arsenals.  In 
the  interior  of  the  arsenal,  every  thing  is  of  wood,  notwithstand 
ing  the  great  importance  of  being  fire-proof,  as  it  contains  such 


188 

a  large  capital.  There  were  eighty-four  thousand  guns.  If  the 
value  of  one  be  estimated  only  at  thirteen  dollars,  it  makes  the 
sum  of  one  million  and  ninety-two  thousand  dollars. 

From  the  arsenal,  we  were  conducted  to  a  new  manufactory, 
half  a  mile  from  the  town,  where  Mr.  Hall's  patent  guns  are  con 
structed  under  his  own  direction.  He  not  being  present,  I  was 
not  fortunate  enough  to  find  any  body  to  explain  the  machinery, 
which  appeared  not  yet  in  full  action.  Dr.  Weise,  went  with  us 
to  a  mountain  above  this  place,  called  Jefferson's  Rock.  The 
prospect  from  it  is  really  very  fine;  it  agrees  with  the  descrip 
tion,  yet  I  believe  I  have  seen  finer  landscapes  in  Germany. 
From  that  place  also,  the  town  can  be  surveyed,  the  houses  of 
which  appeared  to  be  rather  scattered;  of  its  fifteen  hundred  in 
habitants,  three  hundred  are  working  in  the  gun  manufactory. 
The  ground  for  the  most  part  belongs  to  the  government,  and 
well  recommended  persons  obtain  permission  to  build  upon  it. 
On  an  elevation,  near  Jefferson's  Rock,  a  large  building,  three 
stories  high,  has  been  erected.  The  first  story  was  intended  for 
a  church,  the  second  for  a  Lancasterian  school,  and  the  third  for 
a  free  mason's  lodge.  I  suffered  very  much  from  a  very  cold 
wind,  which  brought  with  it  a  little  snow.  In  the  evening,  Dr. 
Weise  came  to  me  with  a  bridge  builder,  who  was  a  native  of 
Reuslingen,  who  came  here  thirty  years  ago  as  a  baker,  and  then 
had  learned  the  art  of  constructing  mills  and  bridges.  The  se 
cond  bridge  on  the  Schuylkill,  above  Philadelphia,  built  of  a  sin 
gle  arch,  is  of  his  invention,  and  the  next  year  he  was  to  build 
one  here  over  the  Potomac. 

On  the  19th  of  November,  we  left  Harper's  ferry  in  a  clear, 
but  very  cold  morning,  and  set  off  on  a  journey  to  the  Natural 
Bridge,  which  is  one  hundred  and  seventy-five  miles  distant.  We 
rode  in  an  ordinary  stage.  The  improvement  of  stages,  appears 
not  yet  to  have  extended  beyond  the  Blue  Mountains,  because 
we  were  obliged  to  be  contented  with  one,  which  was  in  every 
respect  very  uncomfortable.  The  way  led  us  through  a  hilly 
country  and  was  very  bad.  We  went  for  a  considerable  distance 
on  rocks;  on  the  road,  a  great  many  loose  stones  were  lying,  and 
I  ^was  surprised,  that  our  miserable  vehicle  was  not  broken  to 
pieces.  At  break  of  day,  we  arrived  at  a  small  place  called 
Smithfield,  eighteen  miles  from  Harper's  ferry.  A  couple  of 
miles  farther,  we  came  to  warm  Sulphur  Springs,  the  water  of 
which  has  the  taste  of  spoiled  eggs,  like  that  of  Aix-la-Chapelle. 
It  seems  to  be  very  little  known,  as  there  is  no  enclosure  around 
it,  and  no  houses  near.  A  lucky  chance  will  no  doubt  make  it 
known,  and  I  should  not  be  surprised,  were  I  to  come  hither 
again  m  fifteen  or  twenty  years,  to  find  at  this  spot  an  elegant 
watering  place,  somewhat  like  Saratoga  Springs.  The  road  con- 


189 

tinned  through  a  forest  of  oak,  chesnut,  acacia,  and  cedar  trees; 
houses  were  seldom  met  with.  We  forded  many  creeks,  the 
most  considerable  of  them  is  called  Cedar  creek.  We  observed 
also  some  grist-mills.  It  froze  pretty  hard,  so  that  the  borders 
of  the  creeks  were  covered  with  a  pretty  thick  ice,  and  large 
icicles  hung  on  the  sluices  of  the  mills.  Eleven  miles  beyond 
Smithfield,  we  came  to  Winchester,  a  very  nice  country  town, 
where  the  houses  are  mostly  of  masonry,  and  form  a  long  prin 
cipal  street,  intersected  by  other  smaller  ones;  it  has  a  market- 
house,  and  many  stores,  which  appeared  to  be  very  well  provided. 
Here  we  changed  our  stage  for  a  better  one,  although  still  very 
inconvenient.  The  wood  of  which  it  was  constructed  was 
hickory,  which  has  a  great  deal  of  elasticity. 

From  Winchester,  we  went  to  Stephensbury,  eight  miles 
farther,  to  Middleton,  then  to  Strasburg,  six  miles,  and  at  last  to 
Woodstock,  twelve  miles,  where  we  passed  the  night.  This  place 
is  sixty-one  miles  distant  from  Harper's  ferry.  We  reached  our 
night-quarters  in  the  evening  about  six  o'clock,  in  a  very  cold 
night  and  a  fine  moonshine.  The  places  between  Winchester  and 
Woodstock  were  not  considerable,  except  Strasburg,  which  is 
more  ancient  than  the  others,  and  appears  to  have  a  larger  popu 
lation.  The  houses  are  generally  of  wood  and  covered  with 
shingles,  although  a  great  number  of  stones  are  found  here.  The 
country  became  at  last  very  fine.  On  our  left  we  saw  the  Blue 
Ridge,  from  which  we  now  withdrew  at  every  moment.  An 
other  ridge,  in  a  parallel  direction  with  the  former,  called  the 
Northern  Ridge,  rose  suddenly  between  us  and  the  Blue  Ridge, 
which  soon  entirely  disappeared.  On  our  right  there  was  another 
ridge  of  mountains,  it  was  an  arm  of  the  Alleghany  Mountains, 
and  we  went  through  a  valley  at  least  ten  miles  wide.  The  forma 
tion  of  these  parallel  ridges  is  very  singular,  and  no  instance  oc 
curs  of  it  in  the  other  parts  of  the  world.  The  country  was 
pretty  well  cultivated,  and  by  the  exterior  appearance  of  many 
country-houses,  we  were  induced  to  believe  their  inhabitants  en 
joyed  plenty.  The  enclosures  of  fields  are  here,  for  the  most 
part,  the  above-mentioned  old  fences,  yet  next  to  the  houses  they 
are  of  masonry  carefully  formed.  As  it  appeared,  they  travel  here 
much  on  horseback.  On  account  of  great  distances  between  the 
plantations,  almost  all  the  ladies  can  ride  on  horseback;  we  met 
several  of  them  elegantly  dressed,  and  also  black  women.  The  race 
of  horses  of  this  country,  appears  to  be  a  very  strong  one.  They 
use  also  oxen  for  drawing;  to  many  carts  were  put  two  oxen,  and 
before  them  two  horses.  On  the  20th  of  November,  we  left 
Woodstock  at  half-past  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  in  a  very 
miserable  stage,  and  proceeded  to  Staunton,  seventy-one  miles 
distant,  on  a  still  more  rugged  road  than  that  of  yesterday;  in 


190 

this  place  we  passed  the  night  The  places  on  our  way  were 
mostly  insignificant:  only  Shryock,  New  Market,  Big  Spring, 
and  Harrisonburg,  deserve  to  be  mentioned;  the  last  of  them  is 
said  to  have  from  eight  to  nine  hundred  inhabitants.  The  greatest 
part  of  the  houses  were  wooden  ones,  and  but  a  few  of  masonry. 
This  part  of  the  state  of  Virginia  does  not  bear  comparison  with 
Massachusetts,  New  York,  or  even  Pennsylvania.  The  great 
number  of  slaves  in  this  state,  makes  also  a  very  bad  impres 
sion.  *  The  largest  part  of  the  country  is  not  covered  with  wood, 
and  appears  to  be  well  cultivated.  As  for  the  rest  it  is  very 
hilly,  and  on  our  left  hand  we  had  all  day  the  ridge  of  North 
Mountains,  of  which,  however,  we  could  not  see  much,  owing  to 
the  fogginess  of  the  weather.  We  crossed  many  streams  at  fords; 
these  streams  were  rather  torrents.  We  crossed  the  Shenandoah 
near  its  source.  About  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening  we  reach 
ed  Staunton,  and  took  our  lodgings  in  an  unpleasant  tavern.  This 
long  and  uncomfortable  journey,  in  an  extremely  bad  stage,  and 
upon  a  very  rough  way,  made  me  quite  uneasy,  and  my  young 
travelling  companion  more  so,  for  he  seemed  not  to  be  very 
much  accustomed  to  such  fatigues.  I  suffered,  however,  this 
want  of  comfort  with  a  great  deal  of  patience. 

On  the  21st  of  November,  we  were  obliged  to  stay  in  Staun 
ton,  because  the  stage  goes  only  every  other  day  to  the  Natural 
Bridge,  which  is  on  the  road  to  Knoxville  and  Louisville,  and 
this  bridge  being  too  far  distant  from  Staunton,  we  could  not, 
with  a  hired  carriage,  go  there,  and  return  within  two  days.  We 
employed  the  leisure  forced  upon  us  in  examining  the  country. 
The  town  itself  is  small,  has  about  one  thousand  six  hundred  in 
habitants,  and  consists,  properly  speaking,  of  but  two  principal 
streets,  intersecting  each  other  at  right  angles.  The  greatest  part 
of  the  houses  are  of  wood,  covered  with  shingles.  Staunton  is 
the  chief  place  of  Augusta  county;  the  court  was  in  session,  and 
on  that  account  a  great  many  lawyers  were  present.  The  town 
is  surrounded  by  hills  and  covered  with  wood,  as  far  as  I  could 
observe  in  the  foggy  weather,  which  lasted  all  day.  The  She 
nandoah  here  is  but  a  small  brook;  opposite  the  town  is  a  lime 
stone  rock,  haying  many  cavities.  I  was  told  they  were  very 
spacious.  I  tried  to  creep  in,  but  found  the  entrance  so  narrow 
and  low,  that  I  was  obliged  to  give  it  up.  I  had  obtained  from 

•  ["  Let  it  never  be  forgotten  that  a  part  of  the  quarrel  of  the  Americans  with 

ie  government  of  Great  Britain,  arose  from  the  determination  of  the  former 

» tolerate  the  farther  importation  of  slaves;  an  importation  absolutely  forced 

em  by  England,  m  consideration  of  the  vested  rights  of  the  Royal  African 

any    !     With  an  admirable  grace  does  England  upbraid  America  with 

iterating  slavery  —  a  curse  by  her  inflicted  on  her  colonies."— Lmdon  Literary 

Chromck,  June  7th,  1828.]— TBANS. 


191 

Mrs.  Weightman,  in  Washington,  a  letter  of  introduction  to  Dr. 
Scheffey,  her  brother-in-law,  and  the  most  renowned  lawyer  in 
the  place.  I  delivered  it,  and  received  a  visit  from  this  gentle 
man.  He  came  with  several  of  his  brother  lawyers,  and  among 
them  three  generals  of  militia  were  introduced.  Dr.  Scheffey 
himself  was  a  major,  and  almost  every  inhabitant  of  distinction 
is  invested  with  a  rank  in  the  militia.  The  custom  being  here 
to  call  one  another  by  their  military  rank,  one  is  tempted  to  be 
lieve  himself  transported  to  the  head-quarters  of  some  army!  In 
conversing  with  these  gentlemen,  I  observed  with  astonishment 
the  aristocratical  spirit  which  the  Virginians  possess.  I  was  as 
tonished  to  hear  them  praising  hereditary  nobility  and  primoge 
niture  !  In  the  evening  I  went  to  see  Dr.  Scheffey,  and  we  spent 
the  time  very  pleasantly  over  a  good  glass  of  wine,  and  in  rational 
conversation. 

The  next  morning,  I  left  my  baggage  in  Staunton  at  half  past 
two  o'clock,  in  a  miserable  stage,  in  order  to  go  to  the  Natural 
Bridge,  upon  a  very  bad  road.  We  passed  only  two  decent  places, 
Fairfield  and  Lexington,  the  last  is  the  chief  town  of  Rockbridge 
county,  and  has  a  court  and  high  school.  On  account  of  a  fog, 
which  lasted  all  day,  we  could  see  but  little  of  the  country,  which 
in  some  parts  of  Rockbridge  county  becomes  very  mountainous. 
We  forded  two  small  streams,  called  Middle  river  and  Buffalo 
creek,  over  the  last  there  is  a  wooden  bridge,  which  is  made  use 
of  only  at  very  high  water.  Our  travelling  company  was  not 
the  most  agreeable,  it  was  composed  of  two  Americans,  who  did 
not  open  their  mouths,  and  of  an  Irish  resident,  who  talked  the 
more  for  the  silence  of  the  others;  all  this  was  disagreeable  enough. 
At  times  he  became  interesting,  when  he  had  cheered  his  heart 
with  whiskey.  We  passed  by  many  very  handsome  country- 
houses;  at  one  of  them  we  saw  eight  large  black  eagles  sitting  on 
a  fence,  they  were  fed  by  the  care  of  the  proprietor.  The  inha 
bitants  seem  not  very  fond  of  shooting,  for  I  saw  snipes  in  Fair- 
field,  which  flew  even  into  the  yard  of  the  tavern.  Game  is  here 
very  abundant,  a  deer  costs  about  a  dollar  and  a  half. 

In  the  afternoon  we  reached  a  lonely  tavern,  situated  in  the 
mountains  called  Natural  Bridge,  which  is  fifty  miles  distant  from 
Staunton.  I  availed  myself  of  the  short  time  the  sun  remained 
above  the  horizon  to  hasten  to  the  Natural  Bridge,  which  is  a 
mile  and  a  half  distant  from  the  tavern,  and  for  the  sake  of 
which  I  had  made  so  great  a  circuit  and  suffered  so  many  fa 
tigues.  A  young  negro  slave  from  the  tavern  was  our  conduc 
tor;  the  way  lead  through  mountains  overgrown  with  wood.  At 
last  I  stood  upon  a  rock  whence  I  could  overlook  the  cleft  and 
the  bridge  just  before  me.  In  Jefferson's  Notes,  that  learned 
man  gives  a  description  of  the  bridge,  which  is  as  follows: 


192 

"  The  Natural  Bridge,  the  most  sublime  of  Nature's  works, 
though  not  comprehended  under  the  present  head,  must  not  be 
pretermitted.  It  is  on  the  ascent  of  a  hill,  which  seems  to  have 
been  cloven  through  its  length  by  some  great  convulsion.  The 
fissure  just  at  the  bridge,  is  by  some  admeasurements,  two  hun 
dred  and  seventy  feet  deep,  by  others  only  two  hundred  and 
five.  It  is  about  forty-five  feet  wide  at  the  bottom,  and  ninety 
feet  at  the  top;  this  of  course  determines  the  length  of  the  bridge, 
and  its  height  from  the  water,  its  breadth  in  the  middle  is  about 
sixty  feet,  but  more  at  the  ends,  and  the  thickness  of  the  mass, 
at  the  summit  of  the  arch  about  forty  feet.  A  part  of  this  thick 
ness  is  constituted  by  a  coat  of  earth,  which  gives  growth  to 
many  large  trees.  The  residue,  with  the  hill  on  both  sides,  is 
one  solid  rock  of  limestone. — The  arch  approaches  the  semi- 
elliptical  form,  but  the  larger  axis  of  the  ellipsis,  which  would 
be  the  chord  of  the  arch,  is  many  times  longer  than  the  trans 
verse.  Though  the  sides  of  this  bridge  are  provided  in  some 
parts  with  a  parapet  of  fixed  rocks,  yet  few  men  have  resolu 
tion  to  walk  to  them,  and  look  over  into  the  abyss.  You  invo 
luntarily  fall  on  your  hands  and  feet,  creep  to  the  parapet,  and  peep 
over  it  Looking  down  from  this  heightabout  a  minute,  gave  me 
a  violent  head-ache.  If  the  view  from  the  top  be  painful  and  in 
tolerable,  that  from  below  is  delightful  in  an  equal  extreme.  It 
is  impossible  for  the  emotions  arising  from  the  sublime,  to  be 
felt  beyond  what  they  are  here:  so  beautiful  an  arch,  so  elevated, 
so  light,  and  springing  as  it  were  up  to  heaven!  The  rapture  of 
the  spectator  is  really  indiscribable!  The  fissure  continuing 
narrow,  deep,  and  straight,  for  a  considerable  distance  above  and 
below  the  bridge,  opens  a  short  but  very  pleasing  view  of  the 
North  Mountain  on  one  side  and  Blue  Ridge  on  the  other,  at  the 
distance  each  of  them  of  about  five  miles.  This  bridge  is  in  the 
county  of  Rockbridge,  to  which  it  has  given  name,  and  affords  a 
public  and  commodious  passage  over  a  valley,  which  cannot  be 
crossed  elsewhere  for  a  considerable  distance.  The  stream  pas 
sing  under  it  is  called  Cedar  creek.  It  is  a  water  of  James's 
river,  and  sufficient  in  the  driest  seasons  to  turn  a  grist-mill, 
though  its  fountain  is  not  more  than  two  miles  above." 

I  confess  that  I  am  no  poet;  yet  I  was  very  glad  to  have  taken 
the  trouble  of  coming  hither;  this  rock-bridge  being  certainly 
one  of  the  greatest  wonders  of  nature  1  have  ever  beheld;  and  I 
have  seen  Vesuvius  and  the  Phlegrean  fields,  the  Giant's  Cause 
way  in  Ireland,  the  Island  of  Staffa,  and  the  Falls  of  Niagara! 
The  brook  under  the  bridge  was  almost  dry;  the  most  majestic 
view  is  from  below. 

On  the  23d  of  November  we  left  the  wretched  tavern  at  the 
Natural  Bridge,  and  returned  to  Staunton  in  a  crowded  stage, 


193 

in  which  were  four  gentlemen  from  the  state  of  Tennessee,  mem 
bers  of  congress,  going  to  Washington.  I  took  my  seat  as  usual 
alongside  the  coachman,  where  I  had  more  room  and  fresh  air. 
We  returned  as  far  as  Lexington  by  the  road  we  left  it.  Having 
stopped  for  a  short  while  here,  I  was  the  object  of  much  curi 
osity  to  the  German  descendants  who  are  settled  here.  The 
town  of  Lexington  was  first  established  about  forty  years  ago, 
and  it  now  contains  eleven  hundred  inhabitants.  In  its  vicinity 
upon  a  hill,  is  a  large  arsenal  covered  with  zinc,  belonging  to  the 
United  States. 

From  Lexington  we  took  another  road  which  led  us  through 
the  considerable  villages  of  Brownsburgh  and  Middleburgh. 
The  road  was  in  some  places  very  bad,  and  terribly  rough;  but 
we  sometimes  found  a  side  road,  which  in  that  dry  season  was 
still  very  good ;  it  ran  generally  through  a  forest.  We  saw  lonely 
houses  and  met  with  many  travellers  on  horseback,  several  of 
them  were  well  dressed  white  women.  All  our  coachmen  in 
this  state  were  whites ;  I  was  surprised  at  this,  knowing  that 
black  coachmen  could  be  had  at  a  cheaper  rate,  and  was  told  that 
in  this  state,  blacks  were  not  allowed  to  drive  the  mail  stage. 

On  the  24th  of  November,  after  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
we  set  out  from  Staunton  in  a  hired  coach,  in  order  to  pass  by  a 
circuitous  route  the  celebrated  Wier's  cave,  and  thence  con 
tinue  our  journey  to  Charlotteville,  whither  we  had  sent  our 
heavy  baggage  by  the  stage. 

As  far  as  Wier's  cave,  eighteen  miles  distant,  we  had  a  good 
country  road.  We  took  our  lodgings  in  a  lonely  house  belong 
ing  to  Mr.  Mohler,  a  German  from  Pennsylvania,  of  Saxon 
origin.  The  way  was  through  a  hilly,  woody  country  ;  many 
breaks  in  the  earth  presented  limestone  rocks,  and  announced 
the  proximity  of  caves.  For  a  sportsman  this  country  must  be 
delightful,  for  we  saw  in  the  woods  two  flocks  of  partridges, 
which  left  the  road,  only  to  give  way  to  the  passing  carriage, 
and  then  settled  at  not  more  than  ten  paces  from  us.  On  the 
banks  of  the  creeks  we  saw  a  great  number  of  snipes.  Mohler 's 
house  is  situated  on  a  considerable  creek,  called  the  South  river, 
which  by  means  of  a  canal,  works  a  grist-mill  and  forge. 

The  grist-mill  belongs  to  a  miller,  who  has  also  a  whiskey  dis 
tillery,  and  upwards  of  one  hundred  acres  of  land,  with  four 
negro  slaves.  He  cultivates  wheat,  some  rye,  and  a  great  quantity 
of  Indian  corn.  His  mill,  a  large  stone  building,  is  arranged  very 
compendiously,  and  reminded  me  of  the  large  steam-mill  at  Bal 
timore.  There  are  only  two  pairs  of  stones,  one  for  wheat,  and 
the  other  for  Indian  corn.  The  boulted  flour  is  conveyed  to  the 
upper  floor  by  means  of  elevators,  and  spread  upon  it  by  a  rake, 
which  has  a  circular  and  horizontal  motion,  in  order  to  cool  it. 

VOL.  I.  25 


194 

He  sends  his  flour  packed  up  in  barrels  to  Richmond,  and  even 
to  Baltimore.  The  industrious  Mohler  has  connected  with  his 
grist-mill,  a  saw-mill,  and  a  mill  to  break  flax,  which  is  likewise 
cultivated,  though  not  in  a  large  quantity  ;  this  year,  on  account 
of  the  dryness,  it  has  failed. 

The  entrance  of  the  cave  is  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from 
Mohler's  house,  and  is  situated  in  the  middle  of  a  steep  side  of 
a  mountain  on  the  bank  of  the  South  river.  We  crept  down 
the  hollow,  every  one  provided  with  a  taper,  and  came  directly 
into  a  space  where  we  could  stand  up;  there  were  some  beautiful 
stalactites,  mostly  in  columns.  This  place  is  called  the  anti- 
chamber.  Then  we  arrived  at  a  hall  called  dragon's  room,  from 
a  stalactite,  which  is  said  to  have  the  form  of  a  dragon.  Several 
of  the  stalactites  are  not  unlike  waterfalls ;  one  of  them  is  called 
Niagara  Falls. 

The  following  gallery  is  called  the  Devil's  gallery,  from  a 
figure  standing  in  it ;  yet  I  found  in  this  figure  more  resemblance 
to  a  statue  of  the  virgin,  than  to  that  of  a  devil. 

A  whole  stratum  of  the  stalactites  detached  from  the  roof  of  the 
cavern,  was  as  it  were,  suspended  between  heaven  and  earth,  and 
afforded  a  fine  view,  especially  as  a  new  formation  of  stalactites 
took  place  between  the  roof  and  the  suspended  stratum. 

A  narrow  hollow  passage  leads  into  a  more  spacious  cavern 
called  Solomon's  Temple;  here  are  very  singular  and  mostly  fo 
liated  transparent  stalactites,  hanging  from  the  roof  down  to  the 
floor.  Not  far  from  that  cavern  is  another,  named  hide-room,  in 
which  the  stalactites  hang  down  in  form  of  hides  in  a  tannery. 
Then  we  came  into  another  vault,  which  is  called  the  drum-room, 
because  if  a  stone  is  thrown  against  the  stalactites,  they  give  a 
sound  resembling  that  of  a  drum.  Some  of  the  stalactites  having 
the  form  of  sticks,  and  ranged  in  circles,  produce  all  the  sounds 
of  an  octave,  if  struck  with  a  stick.  You  pass  afterwards  through 
a  narrow  passage,  by  an  opening,  which  looks  like  an  antique  tomb 
in  ruins,  and  is  called  Patterson's  grave,  in  commemoration  of  an 
individual  of  that  name  who  fell  in  there.  By  means  of  a  rather 
rotten  ladder,  you  come  now  into  a  very  high  smooth  saloon, 
eighty  feet  long,  called  the  ball-room,  in  which  benches  are 
placed;  I  was  told  that  visitors  having  ladies  with  them,  enter 
tained  themselves  here  very  often  with  dancing.  Then  you  as 
cend  another  ladder,  and  creep  on  all  fours  through  a  narrow 
hollow,  which  has  been  partly  enlarged  by  a  mine,  when  you  ar 
rive  at  a  natural,  but  very  slippery  staircase,  called  Jacob's  lad 
der,  which  you  descend;  then  passing  through  a  narrow  dungeon, 
you  get  into  a  more  spacious  room,  named  Senate-chamber,  when 
by  means  of  a  rotten  ladder  you  reach  a  long  gallery,  called 
Washington-hall,  from  a  large  stalactite  standing  in  the  middle 


195 

of  it,  and  having  the  form  of  a  statue,  which  is  called  Washing 
ton's  statue. 

Not  far  from  this  statue,  there  is  a  small  fountain,  the  water 
of  which,  though  very  thirsty,  I  did  not  venture  to  drink,  having 
some  days  since  experienced  bad  consequences  from  drinking 
water  from  limestone  rocks.  Next  to  this  hall,  is  a  place  in  which 
the  stalactites  covering  the  rock,  have  a  shining  crystalline-like 
surface,  wherefore  this  vault  is  called  the  diamond  room.  Far 
ther  on,  you  get  in  a  large  saloon  called  the  dining  room,  in 
which  the  stalactites  represent  something  not  unlike  a  side-board 
set  with  bottles  and  tumblers.  In  Washington-hall  there  is  a 
heap  of  this  filtered  stone,  called  the  hay-stack,  and  over  it  hangs 
another  stalactite,  having  the  form  of  a  rake. 

From  the  dining  room,  we  passed  into  the  last  cave,  that  had 
been  hitherto  visited,  by  the  name  of  Jefferson's-hall,  in  which 
are  seen  several  clefts,  and  I  am  persuaded  that  a  new  passage 
could  be  easily  opened,  and  new  caves  discovered.  In  dif 
ferent  spots  of  the  cavern,  where  the  crust  of  the  stalactites  is 
broken,  we  saw  hollows,  which  have  not  yet  been  examined. 
Such  an  undertaking,  seems  the  more  worth  while,  as  this  cave 
is  probably  in  communication  with  the  Madison's  cave,  which 
was  discovered  by  Jefferson,  many  years  ago,  and  is  in  the  same 
mountain;  its  entrance  being  only  three  hundred  yards  distant 
from  that  of  Wier's  cave. 

Wier's  cave  was  discovered  in  the  year  1806,  by  a  German 
farmer  named  Wier;  Madison's  cave  is  not  any  longer  visited; 
it  is  said  also,  that  its  finest  stalactites  have  been  destroyed  by 
the  indiscretion  of  strangers. 

My  attention  in  Wier's  cave,  was  particularly  attracted  by 
plates,  which  came  off  from  the  roof  of  the  cavern,  and  hang  from 
it,  so  that  new  stalactites  have  been  formed  between  them  and 
the  roof,  the  last  giving  the  others  a  very  singular  form.  One 
of  these  plates  looks  like  a  large  shell  of  mother  of  pearl, — an 
other,  like  a  looking-glass.  The  cave  is  of  course  damp,  from 
the  dripping  of  water,  but  it  is  less  so  than  I  expected,  and  less 
than  is  the  case  in  such  caves  in  Germany  and  England.  The 
temperature  was  pretty  high,  and  the  air  very  pure.  Our  can 
dles  burnt  with  a  bright  flame,  and  we  felt  no  difficulty  in  breath 
ing. 

From  Jefferson's  hall,  we  began  our  rather  difficult  retreat,  and 
came  again  into  day-light,  which  was  already  decreasing. 

We  spent  the  rest  of  the  evening  with  our  friendly  landlord, 
by  a  chimney  fire;  he  had  a  bible  in  folio,  printed  in  Nuremberg 
in  the  year  1765,  with  the  portraits  of  my  ancestors,  the  Grand 
Duke  William  IV.,  the  Grand  Duke  Bernhard,  and  others. 

It  was  interesting  to  me,  to  be  reminded  of  my  family  in  such 


196 

a  way,  when  in  the  interior  of  Virginia,  and  beyond  the  Blue 
Ridge. 

On  the  25th  of  November,  we  set  out  for  Charlotteville,  thirty- 
two  miles  distant,  passing  over  the  Blue  Ridge.  The  road  is 
through  a  country  little  cultivated,  and  without  a  single  village; 
and  the  number  of  separate  houses  could  scarcely  be  more  than  a 
dozen.  After  we  had  gone  about  five  miles,  we  arrived  at  the 
western  base  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  which  affords  an  agreeable  view, 
being  overgrown  with  wood  up  to  the  top.  Then  we  entered 
a  narrow  valley,  and  when  the  road  began  to  ascend,  we  alight 
ed  and  walked  over  the  mountains.  I  was  surprised  to  find  the 
road  less  steep  than  I  expected,  and  it  was  also  pretty  good. 
From  elevated  places,  the  day  being  not  so  foggy  as  the  preced 
ing  ones,  we  had  many  fine  views  of  the  mountains.  The  wood 
consisted  of  oak  trees,  and  different  kinds  of  nut  trees;  here  and 
there  were  colossal  fir,  larch,  Weymouth's  pine  and  acacia  trees. 
Evergreen  rhododendrons,  for  which  some  amateurs  in  Europe 
spend  a  great  deal  of  money,  are  growing  here  in  abundance, 
also  wild  vines,  which  wind  themselves  round  the  trees.  The 
prospect  on  the  mountains  would  have  been  more  pleasant,  had 
there  been  some  marks  of  human  dwellings,  but  we  saw  only 
two  miserable  log  houses,  inhabited  by  dirty  and  ragged  negro 
families,  on  the  whole  tract  for  eight  miles  over  the  mountains; 
and  we  met  but  a  few  carts  loaded  with  flour. 

Having  crossed  the  Blue  Ridge,  we  arrived  at  a  good-looking 
country  house,  and  a  mill  called  Brown's  Farm,  situated  at  the 
base  of  the  mountains,  and  took  our  dinner  there.  This  house 
is  surrounded  by  fields  belonging  to  it,  and  from  its  piazza  there 
is  a  very  fine  view  of  the  mountains.  From  this  place  we  had 
yet  twenty  miles  to  Charlotteville.  The  road  became  less  hilly, 
at  least  we  had  no  more  mountains  to  cross;  however,  the  road 
continued  very  rough,  and  we  were  rudely  jolted.  About  eight 
o'clock  in  the  evening  we  reached  Charlotteville,  in  which  the 
houses  appeared  to  be  scattered.  In  its  vicinity  is  a  new  estab 
lishment  for  education,  called  University  of  Virginia.  The  next 
morning  we  went  to  see  the  university,  which  is  one  mile  distant 
from  the  town. 

This  establishment  has  been  open  since  March,  1824,  and  it 
is  said  to  have  already  one  hundred  and  thirty  students;  but  a 
spirit  of  insubordination  has  caused  many  of  the  pupils  to  be 
sent  away.  The  buildings  are  all  new,  and  yet  some  of  them 
seem  to  threaten  to  fall  in,  which  may  be  the  case  with  several 
others  also,  being  chiefly  built  of  wood.  The  interior  of  the 
library  was  not  yet  finished,  but  according  to  its  plan  it  will  be  a 
>eautiiul  one.  The  dome  is  made  after  the  model  of  the  Pan 
theon  m  Rome,  reduced  one  half.  This  place  is  intended  for 


197 

public  meetings  of  the  academy:  but  it  is  said  that  an  echo  is 
heard  in  case  of  loud  speaking,  which  renders  the  voice  of  the 
speaker  unintelligible. 

Under  the  rotunda  are  three  elliptical  halls,  the  destination  of 
which  is  not  yet  entirely  determined.  The  set  of  columns  on 
the  outside  of  this  building,  I  was  told  is  to  be  a  very  fine  one; 
the  capitals  were  made  in  Italy. 

As  for  the  rest,  the  ten  buildings  on  the  right  and  left  are  not 
at  all  regularly  built,  but  each  of  them  in  a  different  manner,  so 
that  there  is  no  harmony  in  the  whole,  which  prevents  it  from 
having  a  beautiful  and  majestic  appearance. 

The  garden  walls  of  the  lateral  building  are  also  in  crooked 
lines,  which  gives  them  a  singular  but  handsome  appearance.  The 
buildings  have  been  executed  according  to  Mr.  Jefferson's  plan, 
and  are  his  hobby;  he  is  rector  of  the  University,  in  the  construc 
tion  of  which  the  state  of  Virginia  is  said  to  have  laid  out  consi 
derable  sums  of  money. 

We  addressed  a  gentleman  whom  we  met  by  chance,  in  order 
to  get  some  information,  and  we  had  every  reason  to  be  satisfied 
with  his  politeness.  It  was  Dr.  Dunglison,  professor  of  medicine. 
He  is  an  Englishman,  and  came  last  year  with  three  other  pro 
fessors  from  Europe.  He  showed  us  the  library,  which  was 
still  inconsiderable,  and  has  been  provisionally  arranged  in  a 
lecture  room;  it  contained  some  German  belles  lettres  works, 
among  others  a  series  of  Kotzebue's  calendar  of  dramatical  works. 
It  was  said  a  great  quantity  of  books  was  coming  from  Europe. 

The  university  is  situated  on  a  hill  in  a  very  healthy  situation, 
and  there  is  a  very  fine  view  of  the  Blue  Ridge.  President  Jef 
ferson  invited  us  to  a  family  dinner;  but  as  in  Charlotte ville 
there  is  but  a  single  hackney-coach,  and  this  being  absent,  we 
were  obliged  to  go  the  three  miles  to  Monticello  on  foot. 

We  went  by  a  pathway,  through  well  cultivated  and  enclosed 
fields,  crossed  a  creek  named  Rivanna,  passing  on  a  trunk  of  a 
tree  cut  in  a  rough  shape,  and  without  rails;  then  ascended  a 
steep  hill  overgrown  with  wood,  and  came  on  its  top  to  Mr.  Jef 
ferson's  house,  which  is  in  an  open  space,  walled  round  with 
bricks,  forming  an  oblong,  whose  shorter  sides  are  rounded;  on 
each  of  the  longer  sides  are  portals  of  four  columns. 

The  unsuccessful  waiting  for  a  carriage,  and  our  long  walk, 
caused  such  a  delay,  that  we  found  the  company  at  table  when 
we  entered;  but  Mr.  Jefferson  came  very  kindly  to  meet  us, 
forced  us  to  take  our  seats,  and  ordered  dinner  to  be  served  up 
anew.  He  was  an  old  man  of  eighty -six  years  of  age,  of  tall  sta 
ture,  plain  appearance,  and  long  white  hair. 

In  conversation  he  was  very  lively,  and  his  spirits,  as  also  his 
hearing  and  sight,  seemed  not  to  have  decreased  at  all  with  his 


198 

advancing  age.     I  found  in  him  a  man  who  retained  his  faculties 
remarkably  well  in  his  old  age,  and  one  would  have  taken  him 
for  a  man  of  sixty.   He  asked  me  what  I  had  seen  in  Virginia.  I 
eulogized  all  the  places,  that  I  was  certain  would  meet  with  his  ap 
probation,  and  he  seemed  very  much  pleased.   The  company  at  the 
table,  consisted  of  the  family  of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Randolph,  and 
of  that  of  the  professor  of  mathematics  at  the  university,  an 
Englishman,  and  of  his  wife.     I  turned  the  conversation  to  the 
subject  of  the  university,  and  observed,  that  this  was  the  favour 
ite  topic  with  Mr.  Jefferson;  he  entertained  very  sanguine  hopes 
as  to  the  flourishing  state  of  the  university  in  future,  and  believ 
ed  that  it,  and  the  Harvard  University  near  Boston,  would  in  a 
very  short  time  be  the  only  institutions,  where  the  youth  of  the 
United  States  would  receive  a  truly  classical  and  solid  education. 
After  dinner  we  intended  to  take  our  leave,  in  order  to  return 
to  Charlotteville;  but  Mr.  Jefferson  would  not  consent  to  it.    He 
pressed  us  to  remain  for  the  night  at  his  house.     The  evening 
was  spent  by  the  fire;  a  great  deal  was  said  about  travels,  and 
objects  of  natural  history;  the  fine  arts  were  also  introduced,  of 
which  Mr.  Jefferson  was  a  great  admirer.     He  spoke  also  of  his 
travels  in  France,  and  the  country  on  the  Rhine,  where  he  was 
very  much  pleased.    His  description  of  Virginia  is  the  best  proof 
what  an  admirer  he  is  of  beauties  of  nature.     He  told  us  that  it 
was  only  eight  months  since  he  could  not  ride  on  horseback ; 
otherwise,  he  rode  every  day  to  visit  the  surrounding  country ; 
he  entertained,  however,  hopes  of  being  able  to  re-commence  the 
next  spring  his  favourite  exercise.   Between  nine  and  ten  o'clock 
in  the  evening,  the  company  broke  up,  and  a  handsome  room  was 
assigned  to  me. 

The  next  morning  I  took  a  walk  round  the  house,  and  admired 
the  beautiful  panorama,  which  this  spot  presents.  On  the  left,  I 
saw  the  Blue  Ridge,  and  between  them  and  Monticello  are 
smaller  hills.  Charlotteville  and  the  University  lay  at  my  feet; 
before  me,  the  valley  of  the  Rivanna  river,  which  farther  on, 
makes  its  junction  with  the  James  river,  and  on  my  right  was 
the  flat  part  of  Virginia,  the  extent  of  which  is  lost  in  distance; 
behind  me  was  a  towering  hill,  which  limited  the  sight.  The 
interior  of  the  house  was  plain,  and  the  furniture  somewhat  of  an 
•  old  fashion.  In  the  entrance  was  a  marble  stove  with  Mr.  Jef 
ferson's  bust,  by  Ceracchi.  In  the  rooms  hung  several  copies 
of  the  celebrated  pictures  of  the  Italian  school,  views  of  Monti- 
si  o.  Mount- Vernon,  the  principal  buildings  in  Washington 
and  Harper's  Ferry;  there  were  also  an  oil  painting,  and  an  en 
graving  of  the  Natural  Bridge,  views  of  Niagara  by  Vanderlin, 
sketch  of  the  large  picture  by  Trumbull,  representing  the  sur 
render  at  Yorktown,  and  a  pen  drawing  of  Hector's  departure, 


199 

by  Benjamin  West,  presented  by  him  to  General  KOSCIUSZKO, 
finally,  several  portraits  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  among  which  the  best 
was  that  in  profile  by  Stuart.  In  the  saloon  there  were  two 
busts,  one  of  Napoleon  as  first  consul,  and  another  of  the  Empe 
ror  Alexander.  Mr.  Jefferson  admired  Napoleon's  military  ta 
lents,  but  did  not  love  him.  After  breakfast,  which  we  took 
with  the  family,  we  bid  the  respectable  old  man  farewell,  and  set 
out  upon  our  return  on  foot  to  Charlotteville. 

Mr.  Jefferson  tendered  us  the  use  of  his  carriage,  but  I  de 
clined,  as  I  preferred  walking  in  a  fine  and  cool  morning.  In 
the  afternoon  we  left  Charlotteville,  in  a  tolerably  good  stage,  in 
order  to  go  to  Richmond,  the  chief  town  of  Virginia,  distant 
eighty  miles.  A  student  was  our  travelling  companion,  and  so 
we  had  plenty  of  room.  But  the  stage  went  only  ten  miles  to  a 
small  tavern  situated  in  a  wood,  and  kept  by  Mrs.  Boyd.  We 
passed  by  not  far  from  Monticello,  crossed  the  Rivanna  at  a  rather 
deep  ford,  and  remained  for  some  miles  on  its  left  bank.  The 
banks  were  high  and  rocky  in  some  places.  The  road  was,  for 
the  greatest  part,  through  a  wood,  hilly  and  rough;  in  some  places 
it  was  what  they  call  causeway. 

On  the  28th  of  November  we  set  out  at  half  past  two  o'clock 
in  the  morning,  by  moonlight  and  very  cold  weather,  and  went 
seventy  miles  to  Richmond.  The  stage  was  better,  and  the  road 
was  also  better  than  formerly.  Notwithstanding  that  the  country 
continued  hilly,  a  considerable  portion  of  the  road  was  causeway, 
for  the  greatest  part  of  logs,  and  the  country  uninteresting.  When 
we  approached  James  river,  along  the  banks  of  which  we  went 
for  some  miles,  the  country  grew  finer,  and  had  it  been  more  set 
tled  I  would  have  compared  it  with  that  on  the  Elbe,  above  Dres 
den.  The  ground  was  in  the  beginning  loamy,  then  sandy.  We 
changed  horses  at  isolated  taverns.  Gordonsville  and  Goochland 
were  the  only  villages  through  which  we  passed,  and  in  these 
villages  too  the  houses  were  very  scattered,  and  almost  all  of  them 
of  wood.  We  rode  on  the  left  bank  of  James  river,  and  passed 
by  a  navigable  canal,  which  is  said  to  extend  in  land  about  eighty 
miles  above  Richmond,  and  appeared  to  have  been  constructed 
with  great  care;  the  wooden  bridges  were  neatly  constructed  and 
solid;  an  aqueduct  of  two  arches,  which  conducted  the  canal 
over  a  brook  having  high  banks,  was  well  built.  About  eight 
o'clock  in  the  evening  we  reached  Richmond,  a  town  of  about 
seventeen  thousand  inhabitants  of  both  colours.  To  judge  by 
the  houses,  Richmond  must  be  a  wealthy  place.  We  took  our 
lodgings  in  the  Union  Hotel,  a  large  and  well-furnished  inn.  I 
felt  really  happy  at  finding  myself  once  again  in  a  considerable 
place,  as  I  was  almost  unaccustomed  to  such  a  sight. 

We  could  not  depart  on  the  29th  of  November,  as  no  steam- 


200 

boat  went  in  the  direction  we  wished  to  take.  My  design  was 
to  go  to  Yorktown,  to  see  the  remains  of  an  English  fortification 
of  the  revolutionary  war,  and  Fort  Monroe  near  Old  Point  Com 
fort,  and  then  to  travel  on  farther  to  Norfolk,  to  see  the  navy- 
yard,  thence  to  hasten  to  the  south,  in  order  to  make  up  for  the 
time  I  spent  in  Virginia.  I  took  a  walk  through  the  town,  to 
look  around,  for  there  was  nothing  else  remarkable  to  be  seen. 
The  town  lies  on  the  left  bank  of  James  river,  and  consists  of 
two  streets,  running  parallel  with  the  river,  and  of  several  insig 
nificant  alleys.  The  main  street,  which  lies  next  to  the  river,  is 
finished,  the  other  does  not  contain  many  houses;  the  former  is 
probably  a  mile  long,  paved,  and  has  side-walks  made  of  bricks. 
As  they  burn  coal  here,  the  city  looks  nearly  black.  In  the 
western  part  of  Virginia,  they  only  use  wood.  The  blacks  seem 
to  compose  the  most  numerous  part  of  the  population  of  that  place. 
It  is  here  where  James  river  becomes  navigable;  above  the  city, 
navigation  is  carried  on  by  the  above-mentioned  canal,  which  here 
joins  the  river,  after  having  gone  through  a  large  basin,  at  whose 
wharves  they  were  yet  working.  This  canal  descends  in  the 
city  from  a  considerable  height,  by  means  of  eight  locks;  the 
sides  of  the  canal  between  the  locks  are  only  made  of  plank. 
On  the  hill  where  those  locks  begin,  there  is  a  pretty  large  basin, 
which  serves  as  an  harbour  for  the  boats  coming  from  the  coun 
tries  above,  and  bound  for  Richmond.  In  the  vicinity  of  this 
basin,  I  saw  a  hollow  formed  by  rocks  and  full  of  wooden  huts, 
which  were  inhabited  by  negroes,  and  exhibited  a  true  picture  of 
human  misery.  This  hollow  has  the  form  of  a  funnel.  In  rainy 
weather,  these  poor  people  must  probably  suffer  a  great  deal 
from  dampness.  Below  the  locks,  you  cross  James  river  on  a 
wooden  bridge  resting  on  wooden  trestles.  From  this  bridge 
you  go  over  a  side  bridge  to  a  small  island,  containing  a  public 
garden,  and  lying  in  the  middle  of  the  river;  above  the  island  a 
ledge  of  rocks  crosses  the  river  and  forms  a  small  cataract;  farther 
up  there  are  said  to  be  several  other  falls  in  the  river. 

On  a  hill  which  commands  the  city,  stands  the  state-house,  call 
ed  the  capitol,  surrounded  by  a  newly  laid  out  garden;  it  reminds 
one  of  the  Maison  Quarree,  at  Nismes  in  France.  On  one  of 
the  smaller  sides  of  the  parallelogram  there  is  a  portico  of  eight 
Ionic  columns.  But  these  columns  are  of  wood  only,  and  have, 
when  closely  inspected,  a  rather  decayed  appearance.  On  the 
two  long  sides,  the  building  has  entrances  with  steps.  In  the 
hall  m  the  middle  of  the  house,  there  is  a  full  length  marble  sta 
tue  of  President  Washington,  somewhat  tasteless.  It  represents  the 
great  man  in  uniform;  the  right  hand  reposing  on  a  cane,  the  left 
arm  on  fasces,  to  which  a  sword  is  hanging,  and  against  which  the 
plough  leans.  In  one  of  the  lateral  chambers  the  court  of  the 


201 

United  States  was  assembled,  to  try  a  captain  of  a  merchant  ves 
sel,  and  a  Frenchman  by  birth.  This  man  had  twice  sunk  his 
ship,  in  order  to  get  the  insurance  money  for  it  At  one  of  these 
sinkings,  a  lady  lost  her  life,  and  on  that  account  the  captain  was 
accused  of  murder.  I  was  sorry  I  could  not  fully  understand  the 
debates  and  speeches  of  the  advocates,  as  I  heard  that  the  person 
under  trial  had  the  best  lawyers  for  his  defenders.  The  decision 
did  not  follow. 

Behind  the  capitol  stands  the  court-house,  a  massive  building 
with  a  portico  of  four  Doric  stone  columns;  in  the  interior  of  the 
building  I  saw  nothing  farther  remarkable.  At  several  booksellers 
I  asked  in  vain  for  the  plan  of  the  city  and  the  surrounding 
country,  also  for  a  description  of  the  canal. 

We  intended  to  leave  Richmond  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morn 
ing  of  the  30th  of  November,  and  set  out  on  our  projected  tour. 
But,  as  the  ordinary  stage  was  repairing,  they  put  us  in  a  small 
carriage  with  only  two  horses,  in  which  it  was  impossible  to  carry 
our  baggage.  As  I  would  not  part  with  it,  I  gave  up  the  tour 
which  I  had  concluded  on,  and  left  Richmond,  in  the  morning  at 
eight  o'clock,  on  board  the  steam-boat  Richmond,  to  descend  the 
James  river  to  Norfolk.  In  the  mean  time,  I  had  an  opportunity 
of  noticing  the  particular  manner  in  which  the  negroes  are  treat 
ed.  I  wished  to  employ  my  leisure  in  writing;  when  I  entered 
the  room,  I  found  several  slaves  wrapt  up  in  woollen  blankets, 
sleeping  on  the  floor  by  the  chimney-fire;  upon  inquiring,  I  was 
told  that  slaves  never  receive  a  better  bed.  3}  J;{ 

We  had  one  hundred  and  twenty-two  miles  to  Norfolk,  and 
reached  that  city  between  nine  and  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening. 
During  the  whole  day  the  weather  was  not  clear;  on  the  banks 
of  the  meandering  James  river,  which  grows  gradually  larger, 
there  was  not  any  thing  remarkable.  The  travelling  company 
was  not  large,  and  was  composed  of  incommunicative  persons:  I 
could  not  exchange  a  word  with  any  of  them.  There  was  no 
opportunity  of  writing,  as  the  engine  communicated  such  a 
quivering  motion  to  the  whole  vessel,  that  I  could  hardly  hold 
my  pen,  and  spent  my  time  in  reading.  Towards  evening  we 
perceived  a  large  stone  building  on  the  left  bank,  the  only  remains 
of  James  Town,  the  first  English  settlement  in  Virginia.  The 
following  romantic  story  is  related.  An  Indian  princess,  Po- 
cahontas,  daughter  of  a  powerful  Indian  chief  on  the  banks  of 
this  river,  whose  name  was  Powhattan,  fell  in  love  with  the  Eng 
lish  Captain  Smith,  who  was  the  commander  of  the  first  settle 
ment  at  James  Town.  This  Indian  princess  swam  across  the 
river  in  a  stormy  night,  in  order  to  give  notice  to  her  lover  of 
the  conspiracy  of  her  father  and  the  principal  chiefs,  against 
his  life.  In  this  manner  she  saved  the  new  settlement,  and  also 

VOL.  I.  26 


202 

twice  afterwards  under  the  same  circumstances.  However,  her 
lover  fell  at  last  into  an  Indian  ambush,  and  was  to  become  a  vic 
tim  of  the  Indians.  Then  she  laid  her  head  down  with  his  on 
the  block,  and  once  more  saved  his  life.  This  scene  is  re 
presented  by  a  has  relief,  which  is  in  the  large  rotunda  in  Wash 
ington.  Captain  Smith  was  a  married  man,  and  on  that  account 
could  not,  when  returning  to  England,  take  his  benefactress  with 
him;  he  made  her  believe  that  he  was  dead,  and  secretly  went  on 
board  a  ship.  Some  time  afterwards,  Pocahontas  married  Rolf, 
who  succeeded  her  lover  in  the  command  of  the  settlement,  and 
followed  him  to  England.  She  met  once,  by  chance,  with  her 
first  lover  in  the  street,  whom  she  believed  to  have  been  dead, 
and  soon  sunk  into  such  a  melancholy  state,  that  she  left  England, 
embarked  for  America,  and  died  on  the  passage.  * 

In  very  disagreeable  weather  we  landed  at  Norfolk,  a  city  of 
ten  thousand  inhabitants,  and  took  our  lodgings  in  Carres  Hotel, 
a  tolerably  good  tavern.  I  made  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Meyau, 
the  French  Consul,  a  very  pleasant  man.  In  his  company  I  went 
the  next  day  to  Fort  Monroe,  distant  fourteen  miles  from  Nor 
folk.  We  went  in  the  Baltimore  steam-boat.  It  fortunately  hap 
pened  that  our  steam-boat,  with  the  steam-boat  Richmond,  were 
engaged  to  tow  the  frigate  Constellation  into  Hampton  Roads, 
which  could  not  sail  on  account  of  a  feeble  breeze.  This  road 
is  intended  to  be  the  principal  rendezvous  of  the  United  States 
navy,  and  is  advantageously  situated;  it  commands  the  Chesa 
peake  bay,  which  is  to  be  connected  by  a  large  union  canal  with 
the  Delaware,  and  consequently  with  Philadelphia,  so  that  the 
ships  built  in  the  navy  yard  can  go  into  Hampton  Roads,  where 
they  will  be  armed. . 

On  a  point  of  land  called  Old  Point  Comfort,  in  the  above 
mentioned  road,  on  which  also  is  a  light-house,  lies  the  princi 
pal  Fort  Monroe,  and  before  it  upon  the  sand-bank  Riprap,  a 
small  casemated  fort  called  Calhoun,  to  command  the  road  or 
rather  the  passage  from  a  nearer  point.  To  prevent  this  position 
from  being  turned  on  its  right  wing  by  a  land  army,  all  the  dry 
points  between  Norfolk  and  the  surrounding  impracticable 
marshes  are  to  be  fortified,  and  a  large  central  arsenal  with  dry- 
docks  is  to  be  erected  farther  backwards  in  the  bay,  in  order  to  re 
ceive  a  whole  fleet  after  a  battle,  and  fit  it  out  there.  The  frigate 

*  She  left  an  only  son  by  her  marriage  with  Rolf,  who  settled  himself  in 
America,  and  had  two  daughters.  From  these  are  descended  the  families  of 
Randolph  and  Robinson,  and  from  these  the  family  of  Claiborne,  consequently 
the  two  eldest  children  of  Mrs.  Grymes,  Charles  and  Sophrone  are  descend 
ants  of  the  unfortunate  Indian  princess.  In  the  two  families,  Randolph  and  Ro 
binson,  the  eldest  son  is  named  Powhattan,  and  the  eldest  daughter  Pocahontas. 
Au3^e^j  9rleans  I  became  acquainted  with  a  member  of  the  Robinson  family 
who  had  formerly  been  governor  of  Louisiana. 


203 

Constellation,  under  the  command  of  Captain  Woolsey,  was  de 
signed  for  the  West  India  station,  called  the  pirate  station;  the 
principal  object  being  to  suppress  these  wretches.  The  frigate 
is  one  of  the  oldest  ships,  and  served  in  the  last  war,  but  being 
blockaded  in  Hampton  roads,  could  not  come  to  any  engage 
ment.  She  is  what  they  call  a  thirty-six  gun  ship,  but  carries 
forty-eight  pieces,  thirty-two  pounders,  and  caronades  of  the 
same  calibre.  The  guns  were  almost  all  from  the  captured  Eng 
lish  frigate  Macedonian. 

We  passed  by  a  small  fortified  Island,  called  Crany  Island,  and 
by  a  fort  on  our  right,  both  rendered  useless,  since  Fort  Monroe 
was  built,  and  their  works  will  be  demolished;  we  approached  the 
Constellation,  our  steam-boat  on  her  left  side,  where  she  was  made 
fast  with  cables.  The  steam-boat  Richmond  did  the  same  on  the 
right  of  the  frigate.  Captain  Woolsey  finding  that  I  was  on  board 
of  the  boat,  had  the  kindness  to  invite  me  on  board  the  frigate. 
His  cabin  was  in  the  forepart  of  the  gundeck;  and  was  very  neat, 
having  four  guns  in  it.  The  after-cabin  was  arranged  as  a  par 
lour  and  contained  two  cabinets,  all  tastefully  contrived.  The 
officers  had  their  lodgings  below,  as  in  a  ship  of  the  line.  I  was 
very  much  pleased  with  the  great  neatness  and  general  order  that 
prevailed.  Even  by  the  sentry  at  the  captain's  door  was  placed  a 
spit-box,  and  every  thing  of  iron  or  copper,  shone  like  mirrors. 
Instead  of  the  ordinary  and  very-  often  incorrect  hour-glasses  of 
our  ships,  there  was  by  the  sentry  a  chronometer,  for  the  pur 
pose  of  calling  the  hour.  We  came  on  board,  as  the  last  anchor 
was  lifted,  and  then  proceeded,  being  towed  by  the  two  boats 
till  we  came  opposite  Fort  Monroe ;  where,  on  account  of  the  fee 
ble  breeze,  the  anchor  was  dropped,  and  the  steam-boats  continu 
ed  on  their  way. 

Captain  Woolsey  gave  us  a  boat  with  twelve  oars,  under  the 
command  of  a  midshipman,  to  carry  us  to  Fort  Monroe.  A  guard 
composed  of  thirty  marines  was  under  arms,  and  made  a  military 
salute,  whilst  the  frigate  saluted  me  with  seventeen  guns.  When 
we  landed  we  stopped  at  a  very  good  tavern,  where  we  found 
two  majors  of  artillery.  After  dinner  we  went  to.  survey  the 
fortress,  which  General  Bernard  planned ;  but  the  work  was  yet 
far  from  being  completed.  The  fortress  consists  of  a  bastioned 
heptagon,  which  can  be  attacked  from  land,  but  by  a  single  front. 
The  sides  facing  the  sea,  are  entirely  casemated,  and  every  gun 
has  its  particular  arch.  On  the  most  dangerous  side  where  the 
ships  of  the  enemy  can  approach  the  land,  there  is  on  the  coun 
terscarp,  a  casemated  coast-battery  protected  by  the  fire  of  heavy 
guns  on  the  rampart.  This  battery  on  the  counterscarp  was  built 
temporarily  of  wood,  like  a  block-house,  and  served  the  garrison 
for  quarters.  The  coping  is  of  granite,  found  in  the  vicinity  of 


204 

Washington.  The  arches  are  of  brick.  The  government  does 
not  build  by  contract,  but  by  measure,  what  the  French  call 
au  mitre  cube;  whereby  it  obtains  good  work.  The  masons 
work  only  is  performed  by  hired  workmen,  mostly  by  blacks ; 
other  work  is  done  by  military  prisoners,  who  have  been  condemn 
ed  by  court  martial  to  public  labours.  The  garrison  consists  of 
eleven  companies  of  artillery,  which  form  a  provisional  regi 
ment,  and  are  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Fenwick,  and 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Eustis.  The  nrst  officer  I  became  acquainted 
with,  at  General  Brown's  in  Washington,  where  he  is  still  resid 
ing.  To  the  latter  I  was  recommended  by  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Bankheard  from  New  York.  Mr.  Eustis  invited  me  to  stay  till 
to-morrow,  in  order  to  show  me  his  regiment;  but  I  was  oblig 
ed  to  decline  his  invitation  on  account  of  time. 

We  availed  ourselves  of  the  opportunity,  which  the  steam-boat 
Potomac  presented  coming  from  Washington  to  go  to  Norfolk, 
and  went  on  board  of  her  in  a  boat  rowed  by  artillerists.  About 
nine  o'clock,  P.  M.  we  landed  in  Norfolk,  all  day  we  had  disa 
greeable  rainy  weather.  I  designed  to  stay  longer  in  order  to 
Bee  the  navy-yard  in  Gosport,  a  mile  distant  from  Norfolk ;  Mr. 
Meyau  would  accompany  me.  The  landlord,  who  was  willing 
to  derive  as  much  advantage  as  possible  from  my  presence,  had 
advertised  in  the  papers,  he  would  on  that  day  give  a  dinner  of 
turtle-soup,  game,  wild  ducks-,  &c.,  but  it  was  written  in  the 
book  of  fate,  that  I  should  not  partake  of  these  dainties.  On 
inquiring,  I  was  told  that  the  mail  stage  was  the  only  ordinary 
means  of  communication  with  the  south,  and  went  only  on  Tues 
days  and  Fridays  to  Fayetteville,  and  consequently  if  we  did  not 
leave  Norfolk  in  half  an  hour,  we  should  be  obliged  to  wait  until 
the  next  Tuesday.  This  not  at  all  agreeing  with  my  travelling 
plan,  and  as  a  hired  coach  could  not  be  procured,  I  packed  up 
my  baggage  in  great  haste,  bid  the  friendly  Mr.  Meyau  farewell, 
and  left  Norfolk  at  half  past  ten  o'clock  in  the  mail  stage,  con 
nected  with  the  Baltimore  steam-boat. 

We  went  sixty-eight  miles  to  Murfreesborough,  where  we  ar 
rived  about  eleven  o'clock  in  the  evening.  We  crossed  at  first 
two  small  inlets  of  the  bay,  on  very  long  wooden  bridges,  pass 
ed  through  Portsmouth,  a  small  place  near  the  navy-yard,  where 
I  saw  the  ship  of  the  line  Delaware,  and  the  frigate  Macedonian, 
taken  from  the  British,  in  ordinary,  but  had  no  time  to  examine 
this  very  interesting  establishment.  We  had  scarcely  left  this 
place  when  we  entered  a  forest,  through  which  we  travelled 
during  the  day.  The  country  is  a  large  marsh,  called  the  Dismal 
Jnvamp,  crossed  by  a  sandy  road.  The  forest  is  very  thick,  and 
sists  of  oak  trees,  among  which  I  noticed  the  live  oak,  cypress, 
cedar  and  pine  trees;  on  the  marshy  spots  there  are  evergreen 


205 

trees,  and  bushes  of  the  Portuguese  laurel  and  holly;  here  and 
there  were  also  magnolias,  and  large  wild  vines  around  the  trees. 
This  variety  of  vegetation  must  look  very  fine  in  the  summer 
season,  however  I  was  told  that  at  that  time  flies  and  mosquetos 
were  very  troublesome,  and  that  there  are  also  a  great  many 
snakes.  This  marsh  is  said  to  be  full  of  bears,  which,  however, 
never  attack  men.  In  Suffolk,  twenty-eight  miles  from  Norfolk, 
a  small  place,  having  wooden  houses,  and  situated  in  the  middle 
of  the  forest,  we  took  our  dinner.  The  wheat  bread  became  scarce 
by  degrees,  and  in  its  place  we  had  a  sort  of  cakes  made  of  In 
dian  corn.  On  the  other  side  of  Suffolk,  we  passed  by  a  cotton 
plantation,  the  first  I  saw.  It  was  already  night  when  we  passed 
the  boundary  and  entered  on  the  territory  of  North  Carolina.  We 
crossed  the  rivers  Nottoway  and  Meherrin  in  bad  and  narrow 
ferry-boats,  which  were  very  dangerous,  as  the  night  was  very 
dark.  Candles  and  lamps  seem  to  be  here  very  scarce;  for  the 
few  houses  that  we  passed  by  were  lighted  with  torches  of  pine: 
we  took  some  of  them  to  light  our  way.  Our  journeying  was  very 
unpleasant,  on  account  of  a  rainy  and  very  dark  night.  We 
alighted  in  Murfreesborough  at  a  tolerably  good  inn. 

On  the  3d  of  December,  at  two  o'clock,  A.  M. ,  we  set  out  in 
dreadful  rainy  weather,  which  lasted  all  day,  and  travelled  as  far 
as  Emerson's  tavern,  seventy-five  miles  distant.  The  country 
still  continued  woody  as  yesterday,  and  in  frequent  marshy  spots, 
presented  to  the  eye  a  very  pleasant  variety  by  the  evergreen 
trees  and  bushes.  In  some  places  the  country  was  somewhat 
cultivated;  that  is,  there  were  some  plantations  where  cotton  and 
Indian  corn  were  raised.  Such  a  plantation  consists  only  of 
wooden  buildings;  in  the  middle  is  the  house  of  the  planter,  with 
a  piazza;  on  its  right  and  left  are  log-houses  for  negro  slaves,  and 
barns  for  corn  and  cotton.  Horses  are  kept  in  very  spacious 
wooden  stables;  cows  and  pigs  in  the  open  air  within  an  enclo 
sure  of  worm  fences.  Only  fattening  beasts  are  kept  in  stables. 
In  many  plantations  we  saw  cotton-gins,  in  which  the  seed  is 
separated  from  the  cotton  by  means  of  a  cylindrical  hackle. 
These  mills  are  worked  either  by  water  or  horses.  The  cotton 
cleaned  from  its  seed  is  put  into  a  large  chest,  pressed  in,  and 
packed  up  In  the  chest  is  a  bag,  which  receives  the  cotton;  the 
cover  of  the  chest  is  moveable,  and  is  pressed  on  the  cotton  by 
means  of  a  screw  turned  by  two  horses;  afterwards  the  cover  is 
taken  away,  the  bag  closed,  and  the  bale  which  it  forms  fasten 
ed  with  ropes;  such  a  bale  weighs  on  an  average  three  hundred 
pounds.  This  is  a  very  troublesome  work,  and  only  two  bales 
can  be  made  in  a  day.  If  instead  of  that  awkward  machine,  they 
would  make  use  of  Brahmah's  water  press,  a  great  deal  of  time, 
expense  and  power  would  be  spared.  The  bagging  made  use  of 
is  wove  in  England.  We  crossed  the  Roanoke  river  in  a  rather 


206 

•*,'*'  '  * 

had  ferry-boat.  The  banks  of  the  river  are  really  picturesque, 
and  covered  with  a  variety  of  southern  plants,  which  reminded 
one  of  a  park.  We  dined  at  a  very  good  tavern  in  a  small  town 
called  Tarborough,  situated  on  the  river  of  the  same  name.  We 
had  already  crossed  this  river,  and  were  delighted  with  its  fine 
banks.  Our  lodgings  were  at  a  solitary  plantation,  where  we  ar 
rived  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening;  the  house  was  entirely  of 
wood,  except  the  chimney.  It  was  rather  transparent;  they  as 
signed  us  a  garret  for  a  sleeping  place,  and  through  the  cracks  in 
the  floor  we  could  see  into  the  room  below.  If  fire  once  breaks 
out  in  such  a  house,  it  cannot  be  saved.  In  the  morning  we  passed 
by  the  smoking  rubbish  of  a  school-house,  which  burned  down 
in  an  hour;  the  brick  chimney  alone  was  standing.  The  log- 
houses  of  the  negro  slaves  in  particular  are  very  open,  and  pre 
sent  by  night  when  lighted  with  pine  splinters  a  very  singular 
appearance.  The  road  was  thoroughly  sandy ;  however,  it  was 
interrupted  by  log  causeways,  which  are  made  over  the  marshy 
spots,  in  passing  which  in  the  mail  stage  we  were  shaken  to 
pieces.  The  small  town  of  Tarborough  where  we  dined,  is  said 
to  contain  eight  hundred  inhabitants,  is  regularly  built,  has  broad 
streets,  but  its  houses  are  of  wood.  I  saw  but  two  built  of  brick; 
had  there  been  more  brick  houses,  I  should  have  compared  this 
pleasant  place  to  a  village  in  Holland. 

The  next  morning,  at  three  o'clock,  we  left  our  airy  lodgings 
and  went  eighty-six  miles  to  Fayetteville.  During  the  day  we 
travelled  through  a  thick  forest,  and  did  not  meet  with  a  single 
village;  we  saw  some  lonely  plantations  of  corn  and  cotton. 
During  several  days  we  saw  different  species  of  birds,  unknown 
to  me,  especially  a  great  many  large  vultures,  called  buzzards, 
the  shooting  of  which  is  prohibited,  as  they  feed  upon  carrion,  and 
contribute  in  this  manner  to  the  salubrity  of  the  country.  We 
crossed  the  Neuse,  a  rather  wide  river,  in  a  narrow  and  clumsy 
ferry-boat  On  the  banks  of  this  river,  are  many  ever  green 
trees  and  bushes.  The  oak  trees  are  here  not  very  high,  but  there 
is  a  great  variety  of  them:  thirty-seven  species  are  enumerated; 
chesnut  and  nut  trees  are  not  so  numerous;  we  were  told  they 
were  common  only  in  mountainous  countries.  At  a  short  distance 
from  Fayetteville,  where  we  arrived  about  nine  o'clock,  P.  M.,  we 
crossed  Cape  Fear  river,  by  a  long  covered  bridge,  consisting  of 
hanging  lattice  work,  of  which  I  saw  a  very  good  model  in  the 
patent-office  at  Washington.  As  I  was  very  much  fatigued  with 
the  uncomfortable  travelling,  I  intended  to  stay  one  day  in 
Fayetteville,  a  flourishing  place  of  about  four  thousand  inhabitants. 
But  I  was  told  that  no  opportunity  would  occur  sooner  than  three 
days  for  Charleston.  Therefore  I  resolved  to  continue  our  journey 
next  morning.  A  new  difficulty  now  arose;  the  mail  stage  going  di 
rectly  to  Charleston,  had  only  two  horses,  and  could  not  take  my 


207 

baggage,  whilst  the  mail  for  the  above  city  passing  through  Colum 
'  bia,  in  South  Carolina,  drives  four.   Although  the  first  was  the  direct 
road,  and  the  second  a  circuitous  one,  I  resolved  to  take  the  latter. 
On  the  8th  of  December,  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  we 
set  out  from  Fayetteville,  and  travelled  for  fifty-seven  miles  to 
Cheraw,  in  the  state  of  South  Carolina,  where  we  arrived  at  sevefi 
|  o'clock  in  the  evening.     Our  travelling  company  was  increased 
in  Fayetteville,  by  Mr.  Davis  from  Columbia,  a  young  gentleman 
I  very  well  educated.   The  weather  was  pretty  cold,  but  not  rainy. 
The  way  continued  still  through  forests,  and  was  very  sandy.  We 
saw  little  interesting,  except  the  vegetation.     We  discovered  new 
(plants  progressively  as  we  advanced  to  the  south,  for  instance, 
jessamines  and  a  tree  hitherto  unknown  to  me,  called  pride  oi 
China,  melia  azedarach,  which  is  generally  seen  near  the  houses: 
there  were  also  gum-trees.     We  crossed  several  rivers,  the  most 
considerable  of  which  were  the  great  and  the  little  Pedee,  near 
Cheraw.     In  this  place  I  met   with    Commodores  Baihbridge 
land   Warrington,   and  Captain  Biddle;   these   gentlemen  were 
1  appointed  commissioners  by  the  government,  to  determine  a  place 
ifor  a  naval  establishment  on  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  becoming  every 
day  of  greater  importance  to  the  United  States.   They  came  from 
Pensacola  to  Savannah  by  sea,  whence  they  went  to  Washing 
ton  by  land.     Commodore  Warrington,  however,  was  to  return 
to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  where  he  commanded  the  station.   I  was 
very  much  pleased  with  their  acquaintance  and  spent  the  evening 
| with  them.     On  the  6th  of  December,  at  three,  A.  M.  we  left 
jChcraw  and  went  to  Camden,  sixty-eight  miles.  We  continually 
Irode  through  a  thick  wood.     It  had  frozen  very  hard  the  pre- 
[seeding  night,  and  the  cold  continued  still  in  the  morning;  but  the 
tsun  appeared,  it  grew  warmer,  and  the  day  became  very  fine,  as 
Sin  spring.     The  increasing  blue  of  the  sky,  indicated  that  we 
fjwere  rapidly  advancing  towards  the  south.     The  plants  were 
much  the  same,  but  the  magnolias  of  different  kinds,  became  gradu- 
ially  larger.     Our  meals  showed  us  that  we  were  in  a  country, 
.were  rice  is  cultivated. 

Black  creek  and  two  branches  of  Lynch's  creek  were  the 
most  considerable  streams.  The  country  on  these  creeks,  on  ac- 
tcount  of  their  evergreen  vegetation  pleased  me  very  much.  The 
jground  was  sandy,  and  we  went  very  slowly  on.  We  break- 
jfasted  and  dined  in  solitary  frame  houses,  which  stand  upon  pil- 
:'lars  built  of  bricks,  and  permit  the  air  to  pass  under  them,  the 
i walls  of  these  buildings  are  so  thin  and  disjoined,  that  the  day 
light  finds  access  every  where.  At  the  openings  for  windows, 
jthere  is  nothing  but  shutters.  It  would  be  a  good  speculation  to 
iestablish  a  glass  manufactory  in  this  country,  where  there  is  such 
ii  want  of  glass,  and  a  superabundance  of  pine  trees  and  sand. 


208 

About  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  we  reached  Camden,  a 
flourishing  place,  where  we  found  a  very  good  abode.  The 
nights  were  very  clear;  some  time  since  I  saw  quite  new  con 
stellations,  whilst  the  old  ones  disappeared  by  degrees. 

On  the  7th  of  December,  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  we 
set  out  in  severe  cold  weather  for  Columbia.  The  road  was  as  on 
the  preceding  days,  but  the  country  grew  more  hilly,  the  sand 
more  yellow,  and  mingled  with  clay.  We  crossed  the  Wateree 
river  in  a  small  boat  with  much  difficulty.  We  reached  the  river 
by  break  of  day.  The  driver  often  blew  his  horn,  nevertheless 
we  had  to  wait  about  half  an  hour  for  the  ferry-boat.  At  last  it 
came,  manned  by  two  negroes.  But  scarcely  was  the  carriage 
in  it  when  another  misery  began.  We  were  sitting  on  a  bench, 
and  the  negroes  were  obliged  to  work  for  half  an  hour  before 
we  were  again  afloat.  Finally,  we  reached  the  opposite  shore, 
but  the  negroes  were  so  awkward,  that  they  took  more  than  a 
quarter  of  an  hour,  to  place  the  boat  in  such  a  situation  as  to 
permit  the  carriage  to  get  out.  We  reached  Columbia  about  one 
o'clock  in  .the  afternoon,  and  took  lodgings  at  Clark's  hotel,  a 
large  but  merely  tolerable  house.  We  were  obliged  to  content  our 
selves  with  the  narrowness  of  our  lodgings,  for  the  legislature  of 
the  state  was  just  assembled  in  that  place,  and  all  the  houses  were 
full.  It  is  only  forty  years  since  the  city  was  laid  out;  it  con 
tains  four  hundred  inhabitants,  is  situated  very  pleasantly  upon 
an  eminence,  below  the  confluence  of  Saluda  and  Broad  rivers 
which  form  the  Congaree  by  their  junction.  The  town  is 
built  very  regularly,  contains  a  great  number  of  brick  houses, 
and  its  streets,  crossing  each  other  at  right  angles,  are  one 
hundred  feet  broad;  though  not  paved,  they  are  provided  with 
large  side-walks,  and  rows  of  pride  of  China  trees.  In  the  sur 
rounding  gardens  of  many  elegant  private  houses,  I  saw  a  great 
number  of  evergreen  trees,  mostly  laurels,  and  also  some  pretty 
high  yucca  gloriosa,  which  they  call  here  palmetto.  In  Colum 
bia  there  are  many  well-provisioned  stores,  and  there  seemed  to 
be  a  great  deal  of  life  in  the  place.  At  the  common  table  where 
many  of  the  deputies  were  dining,  I  made  acquaintance  with  a 
Mr.  Washington,  from  Charleston,  to  whom  I  had  letters  from 
Baltimore.  He  made  me  immediately  acquainted  with  several 
of  the  members  of  the  legislature.  The  governor  of  the  state, 
Mr.  Manning,  sent  me  his  compliments  by  Mr.  Butler,  his  aid, 
and  invited  me  to  an  evening  party.  Towards  the  evening  Mr. 
Washington, -a  distant  relation  of  the  president,  and  son  of  Colo 
nel  Washington,  distinguished  in  the  revolutionary  war,  accom 
panied  me  to  see  Judge  Desaussure,  one  of  the  principal  men  of 
this  city  and  state,  to  whom  also,  I  had  letters,  and  found  in  him 
a  respectable  old  gentleman.  His  father  was  a  native  of  Lausanne, 


209 

in  Switzerland,  and  uncle  of  the  celebrated  naturalist  Desaussurt. 
I  met  at  his  house  a  large  company  of  gentlemen,  who  had  dined 
there,  and  became  acquainted  with  the  governor,  a  very  fine 
man.  After  the  company  had  retired,  Judge  Desaussure  accom 
panied  me  to  one  of  his  step  son's,  Colonel  Blanding,  civil  engi 
neer,  who  has  the  reputation  of  being  a  man  of  great  knowledge. 
The  habit  of  chewing  tobacco,  practised  by  several  of  the  gen 
tlemen,  and  in  which  they  indulge  even  when  in  the  society  of 
ladies,  appeared  remarkable  to  me.  The  society  was  numerous, 
and  composed  of  many  ladies;  I  became  acquainted  with  two 
Professors  of  Columbia  College,  Messrs.  Henry  and  Nott;  the 
first  is  acquainted  with  the  French  and  German  languages,  he 
has  translated  Niebuhr's  Roman  History  into  English.  Mr  Nott 
studied  in  England  and  France,  resided  for  some  time  in  Ghent, 
and  married  a  lady  of  Brussels.  From  Mr.  Blanding's  house  we 
went  to  the  governor's,  where  again  a  large  company  was  assem 
bled  to  a  ball.  No  other  dances  but  cotillions  were  danced,  in 
the  manner  of  the  tedious  German  quadrilles;  the  band  consisted 
of  negroes.  The  governor,  who  in  this  state  is  elected  for  two 
years,  and  his  lady,  did  the  honours  exceedingly  well;  he  introduc 
ed  me  to  all  present,  gentlemen  and  ladies.  The  acquaintance  I 
made  with  a  Frenchman,  Mons.  Herbemont,  was  very  interest 
ing  to  me;  he  has  been  an  inhabitant  of  the  United  States  for 
more  than  forty  years,  was  formerly  Professor  of  Botany  in 
Columbia  College,  and  now  lives  upon  his  income.  The  company 
remained  together  until  the  evening. 

On  the  next  morning  I  received  visits  from  Messrs.  Desaussure 
and  Herbemont,  who  came  with  the  design  of  showing  me  the 
few  curiosities  of  the  city.  We  went  at  first  to  see  the  water 
works,  which  provide  the  whole  city  with  water.  In  a  hollow 
place  their  is  a  basin,  or  rather  a  reservoir,  to  which  several  foun 
tains  have  been  conducted.  From  this  reservoir  the  water  is 
pumped  by  means  of  a  steam-engine  having  two  horse-power, 
and  driven  into  the  city,  which  is  situated  one  hundred  and  thirty 
feet  above  it.  The  water  is  distributed  in  the  different  parts  of 
the  town  by  pipes,  which  are  in  the  middle  of  the  streets.  At 
different  places  the  tubes  are  provided  with  fire-plugs,  construct 
ed  according  to  the  plan  of  Mr.  Blanding. 

Afterwards  we  went  to  see  the  state-house,  a  large  wooden 
building,  which  will  probably  in  a  few  years  be  replaced  by  one 
of  stone.  In  one  of  the  halls  of  the  state-house,  the  senators, 
forty  in  number,  were  assembled  under  the  presidency  of  Mr. 
Johns;  in  another  were  the  hundred  and  twenty  representatives: 
the  speaker  was  Mr.  O'Neil.  The  halls  are  very  plain.  The 
senators  as  well  as  the  representatives,  sit  in  a  semicircle,,  and 
the  speaker  in  a  more  elevated  place  in  the  middle.  During  my 

VOL.  I.  27 


210 

presence,  the  debates  in  both  chambers  were  on  no  interesting 
subjects,  therefore  I  did  not  stay  long.  In  the  senate  chamber 
hung  two  pictures  of  no  great  excellence,  by  an  artist  of  Charles 
ton:  the  battle  of  Eutaw  in  the  revolutionary  war,  under  General 
Greene,  and  the  defence  of  the  lines  at  New  Orleans,  by  General 
Jackson.  In  a  few  days  an  interesting  object  was  to  be  taken 
into  consideration,  namely,  the  question  if  the  government  of 
the  United  States  have  the  right  to  lay  out  canals  and  public  roads 
in  the  different  states  of  the  union,  or  not!  Reasonable  men 
conceive  that  the  government  must  have  the  power  to  execute 
such  works;  on  the  other  hand,  the  short-sighted,  from  certain 
envy  between  the  states,  dispute  this  right  with  the  government. 
The  jealousy  between  the  states  seems  to  take  the  upper  hand. 
The  state  of  South  Carolina  intended  to  make  a  public  road,  lead 
ing  from  Charleston  westwards  to  the  state  of  Tennessee;  this 
road  would  have  passed  for  sdme  miles  through  the  state  of  North 
Carolina,  the  state  .of  North  Carolina  opposed  its  execution,  under 
the  pretext  that  the  road  would  not  bring  sufficient  profit  to  the 
last  state,  although  the  two  first  states  would  have  executed  it  at 
their  own  expense.  The  true  reason  of  this  opposition  is  said  to 
be  that  the  advantage  of  that  road  to  the  state  of  South  Carolina, 
was  grudged  by  the  other  states. 

From  the  state-house  we  went'  to  Columbia  College;  it  is  an 
university,  but  has  neither  medical  nor  theological  faculties. 
There  are  six  professors.  Dr.  Cooper  is  the  president,  with 
whom  I  became  acquainted  last  summer  in  Boston:  on  his  return 
home,  he  was  taken  sick  in  Richmond. 

The  number  of  students  was  one  hundred  and  twenty,  who 
live  in  two  large  buildings,  opposite  each  other ;  between  them 
is  the  house  of  the  President,  and  on  both  sides  the  houses  of  the 
professors.  We  paid  a  visit  to  Mr.  Vanuxem,  Professor  of 
Natural  History.  He  showed  us  the  collection  of  minerals  be 
longing  to  the  college,  but  not  so  interesting  as  the  collection  of 
minerals  of  South  Carolina,  made  by  him  last  summer.  There 
were  several  fine  tourmalines,  emeralds,  pyrites  containing  gold; 
a  new  kind  of  metal  called  Columbian,  asbestus  and  different 
specimens  of  primitive  rocks.  There  was  also  pure  gold  from 
North  Carolina,  which  was  only  discovered  about  six  years 
ago.  When  at  Cheraw,  I  was  willing  to^  make  an  excur 
sion  to  the  gold  mine,  but  it  would  have  taken  me  a  couple  of 
days.  I  was  told,  gold  is  found  in  a  slime,  which  is  dried  up 
and  then  sifted,  the  gold  dust  remaining  in  the  sieve.  But  miners 
are  expected  from  Germany,  and  at  their  arrival,  they  will  begin 
a  regular  exploration.  It  is  said,  that  at  present  the  company  has 
a  profit  of  twenty  dollars  a  week.  I  visited  also  the  library,  which 
was  not  considerable,  and  did  not  contain  any  thing  remarkable. 


211 

On  this  occasion  I  made  acquaintance  with  a  Mr.  Elliott,  who 
had  published  a  Flora  of  the  state  of  South  Carolina ;  he  extolled 
the  botanical  treasures  of  that  state.  A  small  observatory  was 
shut  up ;  perhaps  they  would  not  show  it  to  me,  because  there 
were  but  few  instruments.  :.s'^ 

In  Mr.  Herbemont's  garden,  we  saw  some  very  interesting 
plants  and  trees;  magnolias,  gardenias,  pomegranate  and  other 
fruit  trees,  which  he  had  grafted  in  a  very  singular  manner  one 
upon  another;  date  palm  trees  and  fig  trees,  raised  from  kernels, 
and  a  great  number  of  evergreen  laurel  trees. 

A  mile  from  the  city,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Congaree  river 
is  a  canal  three  miles  in  length,  to  avoid  some  rapids,  which  are 
in  the  river.  This  canal  has  four  locks,  and  the  difference  of  the 
level  of  the  water  above  and  below  them,  is  thirty-six  feet.  Two 
are  built  of  granite,  which  is  obtained  close  to  the  canal.  Seve 
ral  blocks  have  been  blown  up,  to  make  way  for  the  canal.  The 
other  two  are  of  brick,  and  the  mason  work  appeared  to  me  to 
have  been  well  executed.  They  were  just  building  a  wooden 
bridge  over  the  Congaree,  in  order  to  lead  to  Augusta ;  the  bridge 
was  to  be  supported  by  eight  piers  of  stone.  They  are  made  of 
granite  without  any  lime  or  cement.  *  The  exterior  stones  were 
chiseled  and  connected  with  cramp-irons.  The  undertaking  was 
contracted  for  at  seventy  thousand  dollars. 

Not  far  from  the  bridge  are  several  cotton  plantations  belong 
ing  to  the  wealthy  family  of  Taylor.  On  .one  of  these  fields  the 
harvest  was  just  making  by  fifty-eight  negroes  of  both  sexes. 
They  take  the  cotton  by  hand  from  the  capsules,  look  at  it,  that 
no  withered  leaves  may  be  attached  to  it,  and  throw  it  into  bags, 
which  are  hanging  before  them ;  afterwards  they  shake  the  cotton 
from  the  bags  into  baskets  which  are  prepared  for  that  purpose. 
These  negroes  made  a  very  disagreeable  impression  upon  me,  es 
pecially  when  some  of  the  women  asked  Mr.  Herbemont  for 
some  chewing  tobacco.  I  saw  here  some  fine  oak  and  pine  trees, 
the  latter  are  very  abundant  in  all  the  woods  we  lately  passed 
through.  They  have  extremely  long  leaves;  the  young  shoots 
particularly  have  a  fine  appearance.  The  leaves  are  more  than  a 
foot  in  length,  and  the  shoot  looks  like  the  bunch  of  horse-hairs  on 
the  caps  of  the  Prussian  grenadiers.  On  the  trees  hangs  a  long 
moss-like  plant  called  Spanish  beard.  They  pick  up  this  plant, 
put  it  into  water,  to  rot  the  grayish  bark,  and  employ  the  black 
fibres  which  then  make  their  appearance,  like  horse-hair,  for 
making  mattresses,  which  are  even  exported  to  Europe.  Finally, 
we  saw  several  aromatic  and  medicinal  herbs,  for  instance,  the 

*  Because  they  would  be  obliged  to  bring  it  from  the  northern  states  at  a 
great  expense. 


212 

monarda  punctata,  the  juice  of  which,  mixed  with  that  of  an 
onion,  is  said  to  be  very  efficacious  in  gravel  complaints. 

The  Lunatic  Asylum  of  Columbia  is  situated  in  an  open  place 
out  of  the  city.  It  consists  of  a  principal  building  adorned  with  a 
portico  of  six  columns.  In  this  building  are  lodgings  for  the  in 
spectors,  offices,  and  rooms  for  persons  of  moderate  fortune.  Two 
wings  are  connected  with  the  principal  building,  and  form  ob 
tuse  angles  with  it,  each  of  them  is  three  stories  high,  in  which 
the  lunatics  are  placed.  By  degrees,  as  the  income  of  the  estab 
lishment  increases,  other  wings  will  be  built,  and  the  whole  will 
form  an  octagon.  There  is  on  the  principal  building  a  spire,  from 
which  is  a  very  extensive  view,  though  you  see  nothing  else  but 
woods.  The  distempered  in  mind  will  find  here  many  conve 
niences  when  the  buildings  are  completed:  namely,  good  rooms, 
gardens,  and  walking  places  on  balconies,  inclosed  with  high 
walls. 

A  Catholic  chapel  in  Gothic  style  has  been  built  in  Columbia 
by  subscription,  but  the  amount  collected,  being  not  sufficient,  a 
lottery  has  been  opened  to  obtain  the  deficiency!  Next  to  the 
chapel  is  -a  theatre,  which  likewise  is  unfinished  by  the  under 
taker,  on  account  of  insufficiency  of  funds. 

At  Professor  Henry's,  a  very  agreeable  society  assembled  at 
dinner.  At  that  party  I  observed  a  singular  manner  which  is 
practised;  the  ladies  sit  down  by  themselves  at  one  of  the  corners 
of  the  table.  But  I  broke  the  old  custom,  and  glided  between 
them:  and  no  one's  appetite  was  injured  thereby. 

I  spent  one  evening  at  a  ball  given  by  Mr.  Taylor,  a  rich  pro 
prietor,  at  one  of  his  plantations.  I  found  there  a  numerous  and 
splendid  society.  But  the  music  was  of  a  singular  kind;  for  the 
blacks,  who  two  days  ago  played  very  well  at  the  governor's, 
were  now  drunk,  and  could  no't  make  their  appearance.  This 
was  the  reason  that  the  whole  music  consisted  of  two  violins  and 
a  tamborine.  This  tamborine  was  struck  with  a  terrible  energy. 
The  two  others  scraped  the  violin,  in  the  truest  signification,  of 
the  word ;  one  of  them  cried  out  the  figures,  imitating  with  his 
body  all  the  motions  of  the  dance.  The  whole  of  it  amused  me 
much;  for  the  rest,  I  was  astonished  at  the  great  plainness  of  the 
house.  Besides  the  first  room,  there  were  three  rooms  open,  which 
had  white  walls,  and  were  without  window-curtains. . 


END  OF  VOL.   I. 


TRAVELS 


THROUGH 


NORTH    AMERICA, 


DURING    THE 


YEARS  1825  AND 


BY  HIS  HIGHNESS, 

BERNHARD,  DUKE  OF  SAXE- WEIMAR  EISENACH. 


IN  TWO  VOLUMEvS 


VOL.  II. 


PHILADELPHIA: 

CAREY,  LEA  &  CAREY— CHKSNUT  STREET. 

1828. 


9KERRETT — NINTH  8TIIEET, 

J'III1..MIKJ  I'lli  A. 


TRAVELS,  &c. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Journey  to  Charleston,  and  Residence  in  that  City— from 
the  \\th  to  the  19th  of  December,  1825. 

ON  the  1 1th  of  December,  we  were  prepared  before  five  o'clock 
to  travel  in  the  mail  stage  from  Columbia  to  Charleston,  one 
hundred  and  twenty  miles  distant.  Unfortunately,  our  coach 
man  had,  the  evening  before,  involved  himself  in  a  quarrel  with 
a  watchman,  who  attempted  to  arrest  his  sable  Dulcinea,  and  given 
him  a  stab  with  a  knife.  It  was  feared  that  the  watchman,  who 
was  the  father  of  a  family,  would  die.  The  coachman  was  im 
mediately  taken  into  custody.  We  were,  consequently,  obliged 
to  remain  till  seven  o'clock,  since  the  contractor  of  the  mail  stage 
was  unable  to  find  another  white  driver  sooner,  and  according  to 
law,  no  negro  could  convey  the  United  States'  mail. 

Our  company  was  very  pleasant;  I  especially  remarked  a  Mr. 
Bacott,  from  Charleston,  and  young  Mr.  Ramsay,  -as  being  -well— ^ 
informed  men.     Three  miles  below  Columbia,   we  crossed  the    v 
Congaree  in  a  wretched  boat,  and  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  * 
passed  through  a  little  place  called  Granby,  which  formerly  had 
been  a  German  settlement,  called  Saxe-Gotha.     The  road  was, 
without  exception,  sandy,  swampy,  and  at  times  hilly.     The 
stage  travelled  very  slowly,  and  for  the  greater  part  of  the  way,  I 
left  it  behind,  being  on  foot.     It  was  nearly  a  continued  forest, 
composed  mostly  of  pine  and  oak  trees,  from  which  the  Spanish 
moss  hung  in  such  quantities,  that  the  appearance  was  far  from 
agreeable.     The  number  of  the  magnolia,  kalmia,  and  gardenia 
trees  increased,  and  also  of  the  yucca  gloriosa,  which  until  now 
were  situated  principally  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  dwellings. 
We  also  saw  more  live  oaks  here,  of  which  the  timber  is  uncom 
monly  excellent  for  ship-building,  because  it  does  not  rot,  and 
cannon-shot  in  striking  it  produce  no  splinters.     Towards  even 
ing,  we  passed  the  village  of  Orangeburg,  with  wooden  houses. 
We  supped  in  a  solitary  house,  and  at  the  same  time  met  the  mail 
stage  coining  from  Charleston,  in  which  we  took  seats.     It  had 
been  built  for  General  La  Fayette,  and  was  named  the  La  Fayette 
stage.     We  proceeded  through  the  whole  night:  the  day  had  been 


pleasant,  the  night,  however,  was  extremely  cold:  I  suffered  con 
siderably,  as  I  sat  upon  the  coach-box,  where  I  always  took  my 
seat,  for  the  advantage  of  free  air  and  prospect. 

We  travelled  during  the  forenoon  of  the  12th  of  December, 
constantly  through  a  forest.  The  number  of  live  oaks  increased, 
and  they  were  really  beautiful.  The  solitary  fan-like  macaw  trees, 
which  we  took  notice  of,  were  small.  The  yuccas  multiplied  every 
moment.  The  last  place  before  reaching  Charleston,  was  Dorches 
ter.  We  then  passed  by  an  old  church,  nearly  in  ruins,  called 
St.  Andrews,  which  has  survived  since  the  time  of  the  English 
government.  It  stands  in  the  midst  of  a  venerable  church-yard, 
under  lofty  live  oaks  and  hickories,  with  palmettoes  and  macaw 
trees  growing  between  the  graves.  The  whole  had  a  picturesque 
aspect.  The  plantations  succeeded  each  other  more  frequently, 
presented  a  more  agreeable  appearance,  and  every  thing  showed 
marks  of  the  proximity  of  a  large  city.  At  length,  in  the  after 
noon,  we  left  the  continued  forest,  and  entered  upon  an  open 
swampy  district.  Charleston  extended  before  us.  The  city, 
distinguished  as  a  seaport,  lies  upon  a  tongue  of  land,  formed  by 
the  rivers  Ashley  and  Cooper:  we  crossed  the  Ashley  to  reach  the 
city.  A  causeway,  constructed  of  fascines,  passes  through  the 
swamp  to  the  ferry.  The  river  is  three-quarters  of  a  mile  broad ; 
we  crossed  it  in  an  eight-horse  team-boat.  A  wooden  bridge, 
which  formerly  crossed  the  river  here,  was  destroyed  by  a  severe 
storm,  and  never  again  rebuilt.  Upon  the  right  bank,  in  the  vi 
cinity  of  Charleston,  an  entirely  novel  spectacle  expanded  itself 
to  my  view.  The  houses  of  the  suburb,  were,  for  the  most  part, 
surrounded  by  gardens,  in  which  orange  trees,  with  most  splen 
did  ripe  fruit,  monthly  roses  in  full  bloom,  and  a  variety  of  other 
flourishing  plants  displayed  themselves.  The  greater  part  of  the 
habitations  have  piazzas  and  spacious  balconies.  Upon  the  walls 
and  columns  run  creeping  vines,  we  took  notice  of  a  great  num 
ber  of  passion  flowers.  I  felt  delighted  with  this  southern  climate. 
Charleston  has  a  population  of  forty  thousand  inhabitants,  about 
twenty-five  thousand  of  these  are  free.  The  city  is  regularly 
built,  the  streets  cross  each  other  at  right  angles.  The  smallest 
streets  are  paved,  all  have  brick  side-walks.  The  paving-stone 
is  imported  from  the  northern  states,  on  this  account  it  is  an  ex 
pensive  article,  and  the  paving  of  the  streets  can  only  be  gradually 
effected.  In  the  suburb  we  passed  through  a  street  which  was 
.a  log  causeway.  The  principal  part  of  the  houses  are,  it  is  true, 

>mlt  of  wood,  and  all  are,  as  I  am  told,  covered  with  shingles, 
on  account  of  the  frequent  prevalence  of  severe  tempests;  the 

nore  recent  are,  however,  of  brick,  and  in  very  good  taste.  I 
took  up  my  abode  in  Jones's  Hotel,  a  well  supported  and  finely 
situated  house,  whose  host  was  a  mulatto.  I  had  the  pleasure 


to  meet  here  with  Colonel  Wool,  inspector-general  of  the  army, 
with  whom  I  became  acquainted  in  Washington.  I  moreover 
made  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Bee,  an  elderly  gentleman  who  had 
travelled  much,  to  whom  I  had  letters;  also  the  late  governor  of 
the  state,  Mr.  Wilson,  with  his  young  and  accomplished  lady, 
from  New  York,  who,  besides  her  native  language,  spoke  French, 
German,  Spanish,  and  Italian,  and  understood  Latin  and  Greek; 
lastly,  Major  Massias,  army  paymaster. 

A  severe  catarrh  obliged  me  to  remain  at  home  a  whole  day. 
The  weather  was  also  unpleasant  and  stormy;  Fahrenheit's  ther 
mometer  had  fallen  to  twenty  degrees,  which  degree  of  cold  is 
here  extremely  uncommon.  In  the  meantime,  I  received  visits 
from  a  number  of  the  distinguished  inhabitants:  from  Dr.  Tidy- 
man,  whom  I  had  known  in  Philadelphia;  from  Mr.  Lowndes, 
to  whom  I  had  introductory  letters;  from  Dr.  Johnson,  mayor  of 
the  city;  from  Messrs.  Pitray  and  Viel,  French  merchants; 
from  the  Marquis  De  Fougeres,  French  consul;  from  Mr.  Bacott, 
with  wrhom  I  had  arrived  yesterday,  and  from  Major  Massias. 
Some  extremely  interesting  strangers  were  also  in  the  hotel,  so 
that  I  did  not  lack  entertainment.  The  following  was  related  to 
me: — Some  years  previous,  the  negroes  of  the  country  engaged 
in  a  conspiracy  to  murder  all  the  white  males,  and  spare  none  but 
the  females.  This  design  was  found  out,  and  it  was  discovered 
that  the  original  projectors  were  free  negroes  out  of  the  limits  of 
the  state,  who  travelled  in  the  northern  section  of  the  union,  and 
in  part  were  become  Methodist  preachers.  They  had  returned 
home  and  preached  freedom  to  the  slave  population.  Since  that 
period  the  legislature  of  this  state  has  adopted  very  severe  pre 
cautionary  laws  against  free  negroes  and  mulattoes.  One  of  them 
is,  that  no  individual  of  this  description,  if  he  have  once  left  the 
state,  shall  be  permitted  to  return.  The  wife  of  our  host,  Jones, 
found  herself  in  this  predicament.  She  had  undertaken  a  voyage 
to  New  York,  her  native  city,  and  now  dared  not  to  attempt  a 
return.  On  this  account,  I  was  informed,  had  I  brought  a  free 
black  servant  with  me,  he  would  have  been  taken  from  me,  and 
put  in  custody  till  I  should  have  left  the  state,  or  I  must  deposit 
a  considerable  security  for  him. 

I  made  my  first  excursion  abroad  in  company  with  Colonel 
Wool  and  Major  Massias,  in  a  boat  to  Fort  Moultrie,  where  the 
Colonel  had  to  inspect  two  companies  of  the  third  regiment  of 
artillery,  lying  there  in  garrison.  This  fort  is  situated  at  the  en 
trance  of  Charleston  Bay,  upon  a  peninsula,  Sullivan's  Island, 
which  is  connected  with  the  continent  by  a  marshy  strip  of  land. 
The  vessels  running  into  the  bay  are  compelled  to  pass  within 
reach  of  the  cannon  of  this  fort.  It  is  four  miles  distant  from  the 


city;  and  lies  about  half  way  from  each  extremity  of  the  penin 
sula.  Opposite  is  the  coast  battery,  with  a  stone  parapet.  This 
battery  can  receive  fifty  pieces  of  cannon.  There  will  be  no 
further  disbursements  for  the  maintenance  of  this  fort,  since  new 
works,  after  plans  of  General  Bernard,  are  to  be  placed  at  the  en 
trance  of  the  passage,  to  guard  against  too  close  a  blockade  of  the 
bay,  so  that  the  ancient  and  more  retired  posts  will  be  deprived 
of  all  their  importance.  Between  the  city  and  Sullivan's  Island, 
on  a  point  of  land  to  the  left,  stands  a  defensive  work  called 
Castle  Pinckney,  resembling  Castle  Garden  in  New  York,  on  the 
right  is  situated  Castle  Johnson.  Sullivan's  Island  is  exceedingly 
sandy,  nothing  but  cabbage  trees  grow  upon  it,  so  that  I  seemed 
transported  to  India.  Outside  the  fort  there  are  a  number  of  slight 
built  wooden  houses,  which,  during  the  heats  of  summer,  and  es 
pecially  when  the  yellow  fever  prevails  in  Charleston,  are  occu 
pied  by  the  inhabitants  of  that  city,  for  the  peninsula  has  the  re 
putation  of  being  healthier,  and  much  more  temperate  in  climate. 
The  trunk  of  the  cabbage-tree  affords  a  good  porous  timber,  which 
is  peculiarly  valuable  for  building  in  salt  water,  since  it  is  not  in 
jured  by  it.  It  is  highly  recommended  for  entrenchments,  as  the 
balls  of  the  enemy  cannot  splinter  it.  On  the  same  spot  where 
Fort  Moultrie  now  stands,  a  fortress  of  the  same  name  stood  in 
the  revolutionary  war,  which  was  built  in  great  haste  from  trunks 
of  the  cabbage-tree,  and  maintained  itself  with  great  glory.  We 
had  a  boat,  attached  to  the  artillery,  prepared  for  our  passage, 
which  was  manned  by  the  artillerists.  These  are  exercised 
as  oarsmen  in  all  posts  situated  on  the  water,  and  this  is  certainly 
a  good  arrangement,  if  the  officers  do  not  abuse  the  privilege. 
Our  boat's  crew  had  unfortunately  made  too  spirituous  a  break 
fast,  the  oars  of  course  moved  as  Providence  guided  them,  and  the 
colonel  was  so  irritated,  that  he  dispatched  the  whole  six  on  land 
ing  to  the  black  hole.  I  remained  during  the  parade  of  the  two  ar 
tillery  companies  in  garrison.  A  company  of  this  description  is 
with  matrosses  and  cannoneers,  fifty-five  strong;  from  these  are 
subtracted,  the  sentinels,  sick,  and  those  under  arrest,  so  that 
both  corps  had  scarcely  sixty  men  under  arms.  The  privates  had 
fire-arms  and  cartridge  boxes,  and  the  matrosses  and  corporals 
alone  carried  side-arms.  The  haversack  -consisted  of  a  wooden 
box,  covered  with  black  waxed  linen.  They  wore  grey  panta 
loons,  and  boots,  as  our  artillery;  the  officers  alone  had  white 
cloth  pantaloons.  The  coats  were  not  well  made,  and  did  not  fit; 
all  the  men  had  large  shirt  collars,  which  had  a  bad  effect,  and 
raves  of  a  different  pattern,  because  each  individual  bought  for 
While  the  colonel  was  going  through  the  inspection,  I 
look  a  walk  on  the  ramparts  with  Major  Massias,  and  visited  the 


officer's  quarters.  In  the  chamber  of  a  lieutenant,  in  which  we 
.stopped,  I  found,  besides  the  books  belonging  to  service,  a  small 
library  of  English  belles  lettres,  and  classical  poets. 

Charleston  keeps  in  pay  a  company  of  police  soldiers,  who 
during  the  night  occupy  several  posts.  They  have  their  guard 
house  near  Jones's  Hotel,  and  I  was  startled  to  hear  the  retreat 
and  reveille  beat  there.  This  corps  owes  its  support  to  the  fear 
of  the  negroes.  At  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  a  bell  is  sound 
ed;  and  after  this  no  negro  can  venture  without  a  written  per 
mission  from  his  master,  or  he  will  immediately  be  thrown  into 
prison,  nor  can  his  owner  obtain  his  release  till  next  day,  by  the 
payment  of  a  fine.  Should  the  master  refuse  to  pay  this  fine, 
then  the  slave  receives  twenty-five  lashes,  and  a  receipt,  with 
which  he  is  sent  back  to  his  master! 

The  market  consists  of  five  houses,  in  a  long  street  ending 
upon  the  harbour,  and  resemble  somewhat  those  of  the  Philadel 
phia  market.  The  quantity  of  the  most  beautiful  tropical  fruit 
therein  arranged,  oranges  from  Florida,  pistachios,  and  large  ex 
cellent  pine  apples  from  Cuba,  interested  me  much.  These 
large  and  delicious  fruit  cost  only  twelve  and  a  half  cents  each, 
of  course  a  dollar  for  eight.  There  were  nuts  of  various  descrip 
tions;  many  sorts  of  potatoes,  cabbages,  and  white  and  red  ra 
dishes.  Fish  were  not  presented  in  so  great  a  variety  as  I  expect 
ed.  Of  shell-fish,  I  saw  oysters  only,  which  are  roasted  in  the 
shell  at  market,  and  consumed  by  the  negroes  with  great  avidity. 
Upon  the  roofs  of  the  market  houses  sat  a  number  of  buzzards, 
who  are  supported  by  the  offals.  It  is  a  species  of  vulture,  black, 
with  a  naked  head.  Seen  from  a  distance  they  resemble  turkeys, 
for  which  reason  they  are  denominated  turkey-buzzards.  They 
are  not  only  suffered  as  very  useful  animals,  but  there  is  a  fine 
of  five  dollars  for  the  killing  of  one  of  these  birds.  A  pair  of 
these  creatures  were  so  tame  that  they  crept  about  in  the  meat 
market  among  the  feet  of  the  buyers. 

Accompanied  by  Dr.  Johnson,  Mr.  Lowndes,  and  Dr.  Tidy- 
man,  I  visited  the  public  institutions  of  the  city.  The  Court 
house,  in  which  the  different  courts  of  justice  hold  their  ses 
sions,  contains  nothing  remarkable  with  the  exception  of  the  City 
Library  in  the  upper  story,  established  by  subscription.  I  no 
ticed  in  this  a  beautiful  collection  of  copperplates  from  the  Shak- 
speare  Gallery,  and  a  sketched  plan  of  Charleston  with  the  in 
vestment  of  it  in  the  revolutionary  war.  Since  this  epoch  the 
city  has  much  extended  itself.  On  the  localities,  which  then 
were  occupied  by  fortifications,  houses  arc  now  standing.  The 
morasses  which  covered  the  left  wing  of  these  works,  are  filled 
up  level  with  earth,  and  no  trace  of  them  is  perceivable. 

In  the  City  Hall,  the  lower  story  is  occupied  by  one  large 


8 

saloon.      It  is  appropriated  to  the  sittings  of  the  city   police. 

Above  it  are  arranged  the  meeting  rooms  of  the  magistracy  and 

various  separate  offices.  In  one  of  these  apartments  I  noticed  an 
elegant  new  plan  of  the  city,  designed  by  an  emigrant  French 
engineer,  Mr.  Petitral. 

The  Orphan-house  is  a  brick  building,  three  stories  high, 
erected  by  voluntary  contributions,  and  in  it,  one  hundred  and 
thirty-six  children  of  both  sexes  are  supported.  I  was  surprized 
at  the  exceeding  cleanliness  pervading  the  whole  establishment. 
The  children  sleep  upon  the  floor,  and  the  girls  and  sick  only  are 
allowed  mattresses;  the  boys  have  a  woollen  coverlet,  in  which 
they  wrap  themselves.  I  was  informed  that  this  was  done  from 
fear  of  vermin.  A  very  nourishing  diet,  and  a  truly  maternal 
care,  preserve  the  children  healthy.  At  their  twelfth  year,  they 
are  provided  for  abroad  to  enable  them  to  earn  their  own  subsist 
ence.  Many  of  the  boys  enter  into  the  United  States  navy,  and 
it  has  been  reported  to  me  that  two  of  the  pupils  of  this  institu 
tion  have  attained  the  rank  of  officers.  Behind  the  house  is  a 
moderately  large  chapel,  in  the  midst  of  the  garden.  The  clergy 
of  all  Christian  professions  can  hold  divine  service  here  every 
Sunday  afternoon;  in  the  mornings,  the  service  in  turn  is  taken 
charge  of  by  a  superintendent.  In  front  of  the  building  is  a  large 
open  square.  In  it  stands  an  ill-preserved  statue  of  Lord  Chat 
ham,  which  was  erected  by  the  then  colony  of  South  Carolina, 
before  the  breaking  out  of  the  American  revolution,  in  memory 
of  that  great  man,  in  gratitude  for  the  opposition  he  maintained 
against  colonial  taxation.  An  inscription  on  the  statue  mentions 
this.  During  the  siege,  it  stood  at  the  corner  of  the  street,  near 
the  City  Hall.  There  it  lost  an  arm  by  one  of  the  first  English 
balls  that  struck  the  city. 

The  state  prison  is  a  small  building.  The  prisoners  are  too 
much  crowded  together,  and  have  no  employment.  The  atro 
cious  criminals  live  in  the  upper  story,  and  are  immured  two  to 
gether  in  a  cell,  without  ever  being  permitted  to  come  into  the 
open  air.  This  is  allowed  only  to  those  dwelling  in  the  first 
story,  consisting  of  debtors,  and  persons  who  are  imprisoned 
for  breaches  of  the  peace.  The  walls  within,  as  well  as  the  floor 
ing,  are  of  strong  oak  wood.  In  each  apartment  is  an  iron  ring 
in  the  floor,  for  the  purpose  of  securing  dangerous  prisoners.  In 
the  upper  story  there  is  a  negro  confined,  who,  implicated  in  one 
of  the  late  conspiracies,  had  not  committed  himself  so  far  as  to 
allow  of  his  being  hung;  nevertheless,  his  presence  appeared  so 
dangerous  to  the  public  tranquillity,  that  he  is  detained  in  prison 

11  his  master  can  find  some  opportunity  to  ship  him  to  the  West 
Indies,  and  there  sell  him.  In  another  room  was  a  white  pri 
soner,  and  it  is  not  known  whether  he  be  an  American  or  Scotch- 


9 

man,  who  involved  himself  by  his  writings  deeply  in  the  last 
negro  conspiracy.  The  prisoners  received  their  food  while  we 
were  present:  it  consisted  of  very  good  soup,  and  three-quarters 
of  a  pound  of  beef.  Upon  the  ground  floor  is  the  dwelling  of  the 
keeper,  who  was  an  Amsterdam  Jew,  and  the  state-rooms  in 
which  gentlemen,  who  are  lodged  here,  receive  accommodation 
for  money  and  fair  words.  The  cleanliness  of  the  house  was  not 
very  great;  upon  the  whole  it  left  an  unfavourable  impression 
upon  me. 

I  found  the  other  prison,  destined  for  the  punishment  of  mi 
nor  offences  of  the  negro  slaves,  in  a  better  condition.  In  it 
there  were  about  forty  individuals  of  both  sexes.  These  slaves 
are  either  such  as  have  been  arrested  during  the  night  by  the  po 
lice,  or  such  as  have  been  sent  here  by  their  masters  for  punish 
ment.  The  house  displays  throughout  a  remarkable  neatness; 
black  overseers  go  about  every  where  armed  with  cow-hides.  In 
the  basement  story  there  is  an  apparatus  upon  which  the  negroes, 
by  order  of  the  police,  or  at  the  request  of  their  masters,  are 
flogged.  The  latter  can  have  nineteen  lashes  inflicted  on  them 
according  to  the  existing  law.  The  machine  consists  of  a  sort  of 
crane,  on  which  a  cord  with  two  nooses  runs  over  pullies;  the 
nooses  are  made  fast  to  the  hands  of  the  slave  and  drawn  up,  while 
the  feet  are  bound  tight  to  a  plank.  The  body  is  stretched  out 
as  much  as  possible,  and  thus  the  miserable  creature  receives  the 
exact  number  of  lashes  as  counted  off!  Within  a  year,  flogging 
occurs  less  frequently:  that  is  to  say,  a  tread-mill  has  been 
erected  in  a  back  building  of  the  prison,  in  which  there  are  two 
tread-wheels  in  operation.  Each  employs  twelve  prisoners,  who 
work  a  mill  for  grinding  corn,  and  thereby  contribute  to  the  sup 
port  of  the  prison.  Six  tread  at  once  upon  each  wheel,  while 
six  rest  upon  a  bench  placed  behind  the  wheel.  Every  half  mi 
nute  the  left  hand  man  steps  off  the  tread-wheel,  while  the  five 
others  move  to  the  left  to  fill  up  the  vacant  place;  at  the  same 
time  the  right  hand  man  sitting  on  the  bench,  steps  on  the  wheel, 
and  begins  his  movement,  while  the  rest,  sitting  on  the  bench, 
uniformly  recede.  Thus,  even  three  minutes  sitting,  allows  the 
unhappy  being  no  repose.  The  signal  for  changing  is  given  by 
a  small  bell  attached  to  the  wheel.  The  prisoners  are  compelled 
to  labour  eight  hours  a  day  in  this  manner.  Order  is  preserved 
by  a  person,  who,  armed  with  a  cow-hide,  stands  by  the  wheel. 
Both  sexes  tread  promiscuously  upon  the  wheel.  Since,  how 
ever,  only  twenty-four  prisoners  find  employment  at  once  on 
both  wheels,  the  idle  are  obliged  in  the  interval  to  sit  upon  the 
floor  in  the  upper  chambers,  and  observe  a  strict  silence.  One 
who  had  eloped  several  times  from  a  plantation,  was  fastened  by 
a  heavy  iron  ring,  that  passed  over  his  leg  to  the  floor.  To  pro- 

VOL.  II.  2 


10 

vide  against  this  state  of  idleness,  there  should  be  another  pair  of 
tread-wheels  erected.  The  negroes  entertain  a  strong  fear  of  the 
tread-mills,  and  regard  flogging  as  the  lighter  evil!  Of  about 
three  hundred  and  sixty,  who,  since  the  erection  of  these  tread 
mills,  have  been  employed  upon  them,  only  six  have  been  sent 
back  a  second  time. 

The  poor-house,  an  old  building  raised  by  subscription,  con 
tains  one  hundred  and  sixty-six  paupers.  It  will  only  admit  such 
poor  persons  as  are  completely  disabled.  Those  who  can  labour 
a  little  can  obtain  the  employment  they  desire,  and  then  receive 
good  attendance  and  proper  support.  The  sick  were  taken  care 
of  in  a  distinct  infirmary,  where  each  had  a  separate  bed.  The 
healthy  slept  upon  the  floor.  I  enquired  why  the  sick  were  not 
provided  with  iron  bedsteads  in  place  of  the  wooden  ones  they 
occupied?  and  was  informed  that  it  was  from  apprehension  of 
the  prevailing  severe  thunder-storms. 

Connected  with  the  Poor-house  is  a  Magdalen  Asylum,  which 
provides  shelter  and  care  for  thirty  unfortunate  beings.  It  struck 
me  forcibly,  as  I  saw  under  an  open  shed  in  the  yard  where  the 
poor  walked  about,  the  dead  cart,  and  close  by  it  numbers  of 
empty  coffins  piled  up  together,  that  the  scene  might  be  very 
well  introduced  in  a  monastery  of  the  order  of  La  Trappe. 

A  medical  school  is  to  be  built  not  far  from  the  poor-house. 
Until  the  completion  of  this  structure,  the  students,  one  hun 
dred  and  twenty  in  number,  receive  their  instruction  in  a 
wooden  building,  in  which  there  are  arranged  an  amphitheatre, 
and  a  chemical  laboratory. 

Dr.  Tidyman  and  Mr.  Lowndes  had  the  politeness  to  show 
me  a  rice  mill  established  a  few  years  ago.  This  mill  is  the  pro 
perty  of  Mr.  Lucas,  who  has  fixed  a  similar  one  in  the  neighbour 
hood  of  London.  Rice  is  known  as  the  staple  article  of  produce 
of  the  lowlands  in  South  Carolina,  and  yet  there  was  no  mill 
hitherto  to  free  the  rice  from  its  husk,  and  to  prepare  it  for  use 
or  export.  This  mill  is  situated  near  the  river  Ashley.  The 
schooner  that  conveys  the  rice  from  the  plantation,  lies  directly 
before  it,  a  cart  is  taken  on  board  the  vessel  filled  with  rice,  and 
by  means  of  an  inclined  plane  drawn  into  the  mill,  where  it 
is  deposited.  Hence  the  rice  is  drawn  to  the  upper  story,  in 
which  it  is  cleared  of  dust  by  a  fan,  and  passed  between  two  large 
mill-stones  which  frees  the  hull  from  the  grain.  It  is  then 
placed  in  a  cylinder  of  bolting  cloth.  By  this  it  is  further 
cleaned  from  all  the  hull.  Now  it  comes  into  the  trough,  where 
it  is  beaten  by  heavy  hammers  faced  with  tin,  and  by  that  means 
is  completely  cleaned.  It  is  once  more  conveyed  into  a  bolting 
cylinder,  where,  by  another  series  of  revolutions,  it  is  freed  from 
the  slightest  dust,  and  shook  through  a  tube  into  the  tierces  placed 


11 

for  packing.  The  tierces  stand  upon  a  trunnel,  which  whirls 
round  while  a  hammer  continually  strikes  upon  it.  Such  a  tierce 
in  this  way  receives  six  hundred  pounds  of  rice.  The  machi 
nery  is  to  be  set  in  motion  in  future  by  a  steam-machine  of  twen 
ty-four  horse-power.  It  is  wonderful,  however,  that  the  best 
steam-engines  must  be  made  in  England  to  supply  a  country  that 
has  numbered  ROBERT  FULTON  among  her  citizens! 

Dr.  Tidyman  honoured  me  with  a  dinner,  at  which  I  met  se 
veral  of  the  distinguished  inhabitants  of  the  place,  as  Mr. 
Lowndes,  Major  Garden,  son  of  that  Scotch  physician  to  whose 
honour  Linnaeus  has  given  the  name  of  Gardenia  to  a  class  of 
plants;  Mr.  J.  Allen  Smith,  who  passed  seventeen  years  of  his 
life  in  Europe,  principally  in  Russia,  and  enjoyed  the  especial 
favour  of  the  Emperor  Alexander;  he  was  present  at  my  bro 
ther's  marriage,  and  enquired  after  him  in  the  most  ardent  man 
ner.  This  extremely  amiable  and  interesting  man  has  lost  the 
greater  part  of  his  property.  Here  also  I  met  with  the  Marquis 
cle  Fougeres,  Mr.  Viel,  and  the  English  Consul,  Mr.  Newman. 
After  dinner  was  over,  a  numerous  company  of  gentlemen  and 
ladies  assembled,  who  remained  in  society  through  the  evening. 
We  had  music,  some  of  which  was  very  good. 

In  one  of  my  strolls  through  the  city,  I  talked  with  a  person 
from  Erfurt,  Mr.  Siegling,  who  had  established  a  music  store 
here,  and  appeared  to  do  very  good  business.  I  saw  at  his  resi 
dence  several  handsome  English  harps  and  piano  fortes;  also  se 
veral  wind  instruments  of  different  kinds.  He  pricks  the  notes 
himself  on  tin,  and  has  a  press  with  which  he  prints  them. 

In  Charleston  there  exists  among  the  Germans,  and  their  de 
scendants,  who  for  the  most  part  are  tradesmen  of  small  capi 
tal,  but  persons  of  great  respectability,  a  Friendly  German  So 
ciety. 

On  Sunday  the  18th  of  December,  two  members  of  this  Society, 
the  militia  Colonel  Sass,  a  native  Hessian,  who  had  already  pass 
ed  fifty-two  years  in  this  country,  and  Mr.  Strohhecker,  came  to 
take  me  to  the  Lutheran  church.  The  Lutheran  preacher,  Mr. 
Bachman,  a  native  of  Troy,  in  the  State  of  New  York,  adminis 
tered  divine  service  in  the  English  language.  The  church  has 
been  built  but  a  few  years.  It  is  simple  within,  but  in  very  good 
taste.  The  organ  is  good,  and  was  well  played,  and  the  hymns 
sung  in  unison  by  the  congregation.  Mr.  Bachman  delivered  an 
excellent  sermon  upon  the  story  of  Cornelius,  from  the  Acts  of  the 
Apostles.  Afterwards  he  detailed  a  report  of  a  journey  of  about 
eight  hundred  miles,  which  he  had  performed  through  the  inte 
rior  of  this  state,  for  the  purpose  of  examining  the  condition  of 
the  various  Lutheran  congregations.  The  report  upon  churches 
and  schools  appeared  very  favourable.  This  service  display- 


12 

ed  so  much  benevolence,   and   real  goodness,  that  1  felt  truly 
edified. 

Upon  the  following  day  I  was  accompanied  by  Mr.  Bacott  and 
his  brother-in-law,  to  St.  Michael's  episcopal  church,  to  see  the 
building,  and  particularly  the  steeple,  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
six  feet  high.     We  mounted  two  hundred  and  thirty-six  steps, 
and  enjoyed  a  very  handsome  prospect  over  the  regular  built  city, 
the  bay,  and  adjacent  country.     The  bay,  with  its  protecting 
forts,  showed  to  great  advantage;  the  surrounding  district  not  so 
agreeably,  it  being  very  level  and  overgrown  with  wood.   In  the 
city   several   buildings  reared  their  heads,   among  others,  the 
churches,  and  there  are  here  twenty-two  churches  belonging  to 
various  sects,  then  the  orphan-house  and  custom-house.     St.  Mi 
chael's  church  contains  in  itself  nothing  worthy  of  remark,  if  you 
except  some  simple  funeral  tablets.     The  churches,  moreover, 
stand  in  the  centre  of  burial  grounds,  and  the  custom  still  pre 
vails,  so  injurious  to  health,  of  entombing  the  dead  in  the  city. 
On  the  same  day,  the  last  of  my  stay  in  Charleston,  I  was  pre 
sent  at  a  dinner  which  the  German  Friendly  Society  gave  in  com 
pliment  to  me,  having  invited  me  by  a  deputation.     The  party 
met  at  half  past  three  o'clock.     The  company  was  composed, 
with  the  exception  of  the  mayor,  Dr.   Johnson,  of  more  than 
sixty  persons,  for  the  most  part  Germans  or  of  German  origin. 
It  was  assembled  in  a  house  belonging  to  the  society,  in  which, 
besides  the  large  assembly  room,  was  also  a  school  for  the  children 
of  the  members,  and  the  dwellings  of  the  preceptors.     The  so 
ciety  was  instituted  in  the  year  1766,  the  principal  founder  was 
Captain  Kalteisen,  a  native  Wirtemburger,  who  had  raised  a  vo 
lunteer  corps  of  fusileers  from  the  Germans  then  living  there, 
with  which  he  not  only  distinguished  himself  in  the  defence  of 
Fort  Moultrie  against  the  English,  but  also  personally,  during  the 
whole  war,  rendered  the  most  important  services  as  adjutant  quar 
ter-master-general  in  the  staff  of  the  southern  army.     The  com 
pany  of  fusileers  always  preserved  their  connection  with  the 
German  Society.     Kalteisen  himself  died  in  the  year  1807,  as 
commandant  of  Fort  Johnson;  he  was  so  attached  to  this  German 
association,  that  he  had  himself  buried  in  the  yard  of  the  build 
ing,  the  bricks  of  the  pavement  mark  the  form  of  his  coffin  over 
it,  and  a  tablet  of  marble  in  the  hall  contains  an  inscription  to  the 
memory  of  the  deceased.     In  the  great  hall,  his  portrait  hangs 
next  to  that  of  Colonel  Sass,  who  after  him  commanded  the  com 
pany,  and  of  a  Wormser,  named  Strobel,  who  was  a  joint  founder 
of  the  society,  and  whose  sons  and  nephew  appeared  at  table. 
Two  brothers,  Messrs.  Horlbeck,  presided  at  the  dinner,  which 
was  very  well  arranged.     They  had  the  politeness  to  nominate 
me  an  honorary  member  of  the  society,  and  to  present  me  their 


13 

laws  for  my  signature;  under  them  were  here  and  there  crosses 
only.  Several  of  the  usual  toasts  were  given  out;  my  health  be 
ing  drank,  I  returned  my  thanks  in  the  German  language.  There 
was  also  singing.  The  melody  was  guided  by  an  old  Mr.  Eck- 
hardt,  a  Hessian  that  had  come  to  America  with  the  Hessian  troops, 
as  a  musician,  and  remained  here.  He  is  now  organist  of  one  of 
the  churches,  and  three  of  his  sons  occupy  the  same  station  in 
other  churches.  The  German  society  possesses,  moreover,  a  li 
brary,  which  owes  its  origin  to  donations.  In  the  school-room 
there  was  a  planetarium,  very  neatly  finished,  set  in  motion  by 
clock-work. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Journey  from  Charleston,  through  Augusta,  Milledgeville, 
Macon,  and  the  country  of  the.  Creek  Indians,  to  Mont- 
gomery,  in  the  State  of  Alabama. 

MY  design  had  been  to  travel  from  Charleston  to  Savannah. 
I  understood,  however,  that  the  stage  to  Savannah  was  very  bad ; 
that  the  steam-boat  went  very  irregularly  ;  that  Savannah  had  lost 
its  importance  as  a  place  of  trade,  and  on  the  whole,  contained 
nothing  worthy  of  observation.  As  this  tour  would  cost  me 
many  days,  and  a  circuitous  route,  I  resolved  to  relinquish  the 
visit  to  Savannah,  and  betake  myself  the  nearest  way  to  Augusta, 
one  hundred  and  twenty-nine  miles  distant ;  thence  by  Milledge- 
ville  through  the  Creek  Indians,  to  go  into  the  state  of  Alabama. 
Colonel  Wool  liked  my  plan,  as  also  did  Mr.  Temple  Bowdoin, 
an  Anglo-American,  a  very  polished  man,  who  had  travelled, 
and  who  in  his  younger  days  served  in  the  British  army.  We 
had  engaged  the  mail  stage  for  ourselves  alone,  and  in  it  left 
Charleston  on  the  20th  of  December. 

We  passed  Ashley  river  at  the  same  place,  and  in  the  same 
team-boat,  as  I  did  eight  days  back.  It  was  at  low  ebb,  and 
many  oyster  banks  were  exposed  dry.  This  was  a  novel  specta 
cle  to  me.  The  oysters  stood  straight  up,  close  together,  and 
had  somewhat  the  appearance  of  a  brush.  Several  negroes  were 
employed  in  taking  them  out  of  the  mud,  in  baskets.  Even  on 
the  piers  of  the  bridge,  many  oysters  were  sticking  fast.  On  the 
opposite  shore  the  road  ran  through  a  country  generally  woody, 
but  partly  ornamented  with  plantations.  Several  of  these  planta- 


14 

tions  are  pretty,  commonly  an  avenue  of  ancient,  well  preserved 
live  oaks,  leads  up  to  the  mansion-house,  at  the  entrance  of 
which  a  grated  gate  is  placed.  Maize  and  cotton  are  planted 
here,  and  in  some  places  also  rice,  which  is  the  staple  of  the 
lower  part  of  South  Carolina.  The  rice  fields  must  stand  several 
months  of  the  year  under  water.  On  this  account  they  are 
situated  in  swampy  districts,  and  surrounded  by  ditches  of  water. 
But  in  consequence  of  this,  these  places  are  so  unhealthy,  that 
hardly  a  white  planter  can  remain  during  the  summer  on  his 
plantation  ;  he  is  obliged  to  resort  to  Charleston,  or  the  northern 
states.  The  climate  of  Charleston  is  such,  that  whoever  is  there 
in  the  beginning  of  the  hot  season,  dares  not  to  sleep  a  single 
night  during  the  continuance  of  it,  upon  a  plantation,  without 
exposing  his  life  to  imminent  danger.  The  blacks  are  the  only 
human  beings  on  whom  this  deadly  climate  has  no  bad  effect, 
and  they  are,  therefore,  indispensable  for  the  cultivation  of  this 
district.  The  vegetation  was  again  extremely  beautiful,  noble 
live  oaks,  laurel  trees,  magnolias,  cabbage  and  macaw  trees.  The 
road  ran  upon  light  bridges  over  small  rivers,  on  the  banks  of 
which  negroes  were  busied  in  angling.  We  saw  the  family  of  a 
planter  in  an  elegant  boat,  manned  by  six  black  oarsmen,  rowing 
to  their  plantation.  In  a  large  inn,  which  was  itself  the  mansion- 
house  of  a  plantation,  we  found  a  particularly  good  dinner.  In 
the  evening  we  crossed  the  Edisto  river  in  a  narrow  ferry-boat, 
for  the  arrival  of  which  we  were  obliged  to  delay  a  long  time. 
The  soil  was  mostly  very  sandy,  partly  also  marshy,  and  the 
jolting  log  causeways  made  us  tired  of  our  lives.  On  this  side 
of  the  river  we  arrived  at  the  village  of  Edisto.  We  travelled 
through  the  whole  night,  and  I  suffered  much  from  the  cold  in 
my  airy  seat.  Otherwise,  it  was  a  clear  moonlight,  and  if  it  had 
been  a  little  warmer  would  deserve  the  appellation  of  a  fine 
night.  We  changed  our  stage  during  the  night,  but  gained 
nothing. 

The  succeeding  morning  exhibited  all  the  ponds  of  water 
covered  with  a  crust  of  ice.  We  passed  the  Salkechee  and 
Cambahce  rivers  upon  bridges,  and  noticed  nothing  worthy  of 
observation.  The  vegetation  was  less  beautiful  than  on  the  pre 
ceding  day;  the  plantations  were  also  less  considerable.  At  a 
new  plantation,  at  which  we  arrived  about  break  of  day,  I  spoke 
to  the  overseer  of  the  negroes.  The  man's  employment  I  recog 
nised  from  his  whip,  and  from  the  use  he  made  of  it,  in  rousing 
up  the  negroes  to  make  a  fire.  He  told  us  that  in  the  district, 
^vhere  the  plantation  was  situated,  and  where  maize  and  cotton 
were  planted,  but  a  little  time  before  there  was  nothing  but 
forest;  his  employer  had  commenced  in  1816,  with  two  negroes, 
and  now  he  possessed  one  hundred  and  four,  who  were  kept  at 


15 

work  in  clearing  the  wood,  and  extending  the  plantation.  The 
cotton  crop  was  finished  in  most  of  the  fields,  and  cattle  were 
driven  in,  to  consume  the  weeds  and  tops  of  the  bushes.  We 
passed  several  mill-ponds,  and  saw  some  saw-mills.  Only  pine 
trees  appeared  to  flourish  in  this  part  of  the  country;  upon  the 
whole,  it  was  hilly,  and  the  progress  was  tedious  through  the 
deep  sand.  We  passed  the  river  Savannah  three  miles  from 
Augusta,  in  a  little  ferry-boat.  The  left  bank  appeared  here 
and  there  to  be  rocky,  and  pretty  high;  the  right  is  sandy. 
When  we  crossed  the  river,  we  left  the  state  of  South  Carolina, 
and  entered  that  of  Georgia,  the  most  southern  of  the  old  thirteen 
United  States,  which  in  fifty  years  have  grown  to  twenty -four  in 
number.  We  reached  Augusta  in  the  evening  at  nine  o'clock, 
on  a  very  good  road,  a  scattered  built  town  of  four  thousand  six 
hundred  inhabitants,  of  both  complexions.  We  took  up  our 
quarters  in  the  Globe  Hotel,  a  tolerable  inn;  during  the  whole 
clay  it  was  very  clear,  but  cold  weather,  in  the  evening  it  froze 
hard.  The  old  remark  is  a  very  just  one,  that  one  suffers  no 
where  so  much  from  cold  as  in  a  warm  climate,  since  the  dwel 
lings  are  well  calculated  to  resist  heat,  but  in  nowise  suited  to 
repel  cold. 

We  were  compelled  to  remain  in  Augusta  during  the  22d  of 
December,  as  the  mail  stage  for  the  first  time  went  to  Milledge- 
ville  on  the  following  day,  and  Colonel  Wool  had  to  inspect  the 
United  States'  arsenal  here/  which  contained  about  six  thousand 
stand  of  arms  for  infantry.  We  understood  that  Mr.  Crawford, 
formerly  embassador  of  the  United  States,  in  Paris,  afterwards 
secretary  of  state,  and  lastly,  candidate  for  the  office  of  president, 
was  here  at  a  friend's  house.  We  therefore  paid  him  a  visit. 
Mr.  Crawford  is  a  man  of  gigantic  stature,  and  dignified  appear 
ance;  he  had  a  stroke  of  apoplexy  about  a  year  since,  so  that  he 
was  crippled  on  one  side,  and  could  not  speak  without  difficulty. 
To  my  astonishment,  he  did  not  speak  French,  though  he  had 
been  several  years  an  envoy  in  Paris.  They  say,  that  Mr.  Craw 
ford's  predecessor  in  Paris,  was  chancellor  Livingston,  this  gen 
tleman  was  deaf;  both  Livingston  and  Crawford  were  introduced 
to  the  Emperor  Napoleon  at  the  same  time;  the  emperor,  who 
could  carry  on  no  conversation  with  either  of  them,  expressed 
his  surprise,  that  the  United  States  had  sent  him  a  deaf  and  dumb 
embassy.  I  likewise  reaped  very  little  profit  from  Mr.  Craw 
ford's  conversation.  As  he  was  an  old  friend  of  Mr.  Bowdoin, 
almost  all  the  benefit  of  it  fell  to  his  share,  and  I  addressed  my 
self  chiefly  to  his  daughter,  and  one  of  her  female  friends,  who 
were  present.  Much  indeed  was  to  be  anticipated  as  the  result 
of  a  conversation  with  the  daughter  of  such  a  statesman.  She 
had  been  educated  in  a  school  of  the  southern  states.  My  con- 


16 

elusion  was,  the  farther  south  I  advanced,  so  much  the  firmer  am 
I  convinced  that  the  inhabitants  of  these  states  suffer  in  comparing 
their  education  with  those  of  the  north.  To  conclude,  Mr.  Craw 
ford  was  the  hero  of  the  democratic  party,  and  would,  in  all  pro 
bability,  have  been  chosen  president  in  the  spring  of  1825,  had 
not  his  apoplectic  attack  supervened.  On  account  of  his  indis 
position,  General  Jackson  was  pushed  before  him;  and  so  much 
was  brought  forward  against  the  individual  character  of  this  per 
son  in  opposition,  that  the  present  incumbent,  Adams,  on  that  ac 
count,  succeeded. 

The  city  of  Augusta  is  very  regularly  built.  The  main  street 
is  about  one  hundred  feet  wide,  it  contains  many  brick  houses, 
and  good-looking  stores.  None  of  the  streets  are  paved,  but  all 
have  brick  foot-paths.  A  wooden  bridge,  three  hundred  and  fifty 
yards  long,  and  thirty  feet  wide,  crosses  from  the  neighbourhood 
of  the  city,  to  the  left  bank  of  Savannah  river,  the  city  lies  on  the 
right  bank.  Along  the  bank  is  erected  a  quay  in  the  manner  of 
a  terrace,  which  is  one  of  the  most  suitable  that  I  have  seen;  for 
it  is  accommodated  to  the  swell  of  the  river,  which  often  rises 
above  twenty  feet.  It  has  three  terraces.  The  lower  one  has  a 
margin  of  beams,  mostly  of  cypress  timber,  at  which,  in  the  pre 
sent  uncommon  low  stage  of  the  water,  the  vessels  are  loaded. 
From  the  second  terrace,  (which  as  well  as  the  upper  one,  has  a 
brick  facing,)  are  wooden  landings  reaching  to  the  edge  of  the 
under  terrace,  by  which,  at  higher  stages,  the  vessels  may  land 
there.  The  upper  terrace  is  paved  with  large  stones,  which  are 
quarried  above  the  city.  The  quay,  as  well  as  the  landings,  be 
long  to  the  State  Bank  of  Georgia:  the  landings  produce  fifteen 
per  cent,  annually. 

Augusta  is  the  depot  for  the  cotton,  which  is  conveyed  from 
the  upper  part  of  Georgia  by  land  carriage,  and  here  shipped 
either  to  Savannah  or  Charleston.  We  noticed  a  couple  of  ves 
sels  of  a  peculiar  structure,  employed  in  this  trade.  They  are 
flat  underneath,  and  look  like  large  ferry-boats.  Each  vessel  can 
carry  a  load  of  three  hundred  tons.  The  bales  of  cotton,  each  of 
which  weighs  about  three  hundred  pounds,  were  piled  upon  one 
another  to  the  height  of  eleven  feet.  Steam-boats  are  provided 
to  tow  these  vessels  up  and  down  the  stream,  but  on  account  of 
the  present  low  state  of  the  water,  they  cannot  come  up  to  Au 
gusta.  I  was  assured  that  year  by  year  between  fifteen  and  twenty 
thousand  bales  of  cotton  were  sent  down  the  river.  The  state  of 
South  Carolina,  to  which  the  left  bank  of  the  river  belongs,  was 
formerly  compelled  to  make  Augusta  its  depot.  To  prevent  this, 
Mr.  Schulz,  a  man  of  enterprize,  originally  from  Holstein,  has 
founded  a  new  town,  called  Hamburg,  upon  the  left  bank  of  the 
river,  close  by  the  bridge,  supported,  as  is  said,  by  the  legislature 


17 

of  South  Carolina  with  an  advance  of  fifty  thousand  dollars.  This 
town  was  commenced  in  the  year  1821,  and  numbers  about  four 
hundred  inhabitants,  who  are  collectively  maintained  by  the  for 
warding  business.  It  consists  of  one  single  row  of  wooden  houses, 
streaked  with  white,  which  appear  very  well  upon  the  dark  back 
ground,  formed  by  the  high  forest  close  behind  the  houses.  Near 
ly  every  house  contains  a  store,  a  single  one,  which  comprised 
two  stores,  was  rented  for  one  thousand  dollars.  Several  new 
houses  were  building,  and  population  and  comfort  appear  fast  in 
creasing.  The  row  of  houses  which  form  the  town,  runs  parallel 
with  the  river,  and  is  removed  back  from  it  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  paces.  Upon  this  space  stands  a  large  warehouse,  and  a  little 
wooden  hut,  looking  quite  snug,  upon  the  whole,  with  the  super 
scription  "Bank.77  A  Hamburg  bank  in  such  a  booth,  was  so 
tempting  an  object  for  me,  that  I  could  not  refrain  from  gratify 
ing  my  curiosity.  I  went  in,  and  made  acquaintance  with  Mr. 
Schulz,  who  was  there.  He  appears  to  me  to  be  a  very  public- 
spirited  man,  having  been  one  of  the  most  prominent  undertakers 
of  the  landings  and  quay  of  Augusta.  It  is  said,  however,  that 
he  only  accomplishes  good  objects  for  other  people,  and  realizes 
nothing  for  himself.  He  has  already  several  times  possessed  a 
respectable  fortune,  which  he  has  always  sunk  again  by  too  daring 
speculations.  This  Hamburg  bank,  moreover,  has  suspended  its 
payments,  and  will  not  resume  business  till  the  first  of  next 
month.  On  this  account,  it  was  not  possible  for  me  to  obtain  its 
notes,  which,  for  the  curiosity  of  the  thing,  I  would  gladly  have 
taken  back  with  me  to  Germany. 

On  the  23d  December  we  left  Augusta,  about  four  o7clock,  by 
moonlight,  and  the  weather  pretty  cold,  in  the  miserable  mail 
stage,  which  we  had  engaged  for  ourselves.  It  went  for  Mil- 
ledgeville,  eighty-six  miles  distant  from  Augusta.  The  road  was 
one  of  the  most  tedious  that  I  had  hitherto  met  with  in  the 
United  States;  hilly,  nothing  but  sand,  at  times  solitary  pieces  of 
rock,  and  eternal  pine  woods  with  very  little  foliage;  none  of  the 
evergreen  trees  and  the  southern  plants  seen  elsewhere,  which,  new 
as  they  were  to  my  eye,  had  so  pleasantly  broke  the  monotony 
of  the  tiresome  forests  through  which  I  had  travelled  from  the 
beginning  of  December;  even  the  houses  were  clap-board  cabins. 
Every  thing  contributed  to  give  me  an  unfavourable  impression. 
The  inhabitants  of  Georgia  are  regarded  in  the  United  States 
under  the  character  of  great  barbarians,  and  this  reputation 
appears  really  not  unjustly  conferred.  We  see  unpleasant  coun 
tenances  even  in  Italy:  but  here  all  the  faces  are  haggard,  and  bear 
the  stamp  of  the  sickly  climate. 

To  the  cold  weather  which  we  had  for  several  days,  warm  tem 
perature  succeeded  to-day.  We  were  considerably  annoyed  by 

VOL,  II,  3 


18 

dust.  Besides  several  solitary  houses  and  plantations,  we  en 
countered  two  little  hamlets  here,  called  towns,  Warrenton  and 
Powelton,  this  last  lies  upon  Great  Ogechee  river,  over  which 
passes  a  wooden  hridge.  We  stopped  at  Warrenton.  The  court 
of  justice  is  in  the  only  brick  house  of  the  place:  close  by  it  stands 
the  prison,  or  county  goal,  a  building  composed  of  strong  planks 
and  beams  nailed  together.  Between  Warrenton  and  Powelton, 
we  had  a  drunken  Irishman  for  our  driver,  who  placed  us  more 
than  once  in  great  danger.  This  race  of  beings,  who  have  spread 
themselves  like  a  pestilence  over  the  United  States,  are  here  also, 
and  despised  even  by  the  Georgians.  We  travelled  again  all 
night;  it  was,  however,  not  so  cold  as  the  nights  previous.  To 
wards  midnight,  we  reached  a  trifling  place  called  Sparta.  We 
were  obliged  to  stop  here  some  time,  as  the  stage  and  horses 
were  to  be  changed.  We  seated  ourselves  at  the  fire-place  in  the 
tavern.  All  of  a  sudden  there  stood  betwixt  us,  like  an  evil  ge 
nius,  a  stout  fellow,  with  an  abominable  visage,  who  appeared  to 
be  intoxicated,  and  crowded  himself  in  behind  Mr.  Bowdoin.  I 
addressed  this  gentleman  to  be  on  guard  for  his  pockets.  The 
ruffian  made  a  movement,  and  a  dirk  fell  from  his  sleeve,  which  he 
clutched  up,  and  made  off.  They  told  me  that  he  was  an  Irish 
man,  who,  abandoned  to  liquor,  as  most  of  his  countrymen  were, 
had  no  means  of  subsistence,  and  often  slunk  about  at  night  to 
sleep  in  houses  that  happened  to  be  open.  Most  probably  he  had 
intended  to  steal.  We  then  obtained  another  driver,  whom,  from 
his  half  drunkenness  and  imprecations,  I  judged  to  be  a  son  of 
Hibernia,  and  was  not  deceived. 

On  the  24th  December,  we  left  this  unlucky  Sparta  at  one 
o'clock  in  the  morning.  The  driver  wished  very  much  to  put  a 
passenger  in  the  stage  with  us,  which  we  prevented.  Vexed  by 
this,  he  drove  us  so  tediously,  that  we  spent  full  eight  hours  going 
twenty-two  miles  to  Milledgeville,  and  did  not  therefore  reach 
there  until  nine  in  the  morning.  Immediately  after  leaving  Nor 
folk,  and  travelling  in  the  woods  where  there  was  little  accom 
modation  for  travellers,  we  had  every  night  seen  bivouacs  of  wa 
goners  or  emigrants,  moving  to  the  western  states— the  back 
woods.  The  horses  of  such  a  caravan  are  tied  to  the  side  of  the 
wagon,  and  stand  feeding  at  their  trough;  near  the  wagon  is  a 
large  fire  lighted  up,  of  fallen  or  cut  timber.  At  this  fire  the 
people  sleep  in  good  weather,  in  bad,  they  lay  themselves  in  or 
under  the  wagon.  After  leaving  Augusta  we  encountered  several 

these  bivouacs,  which  consist  partly  of  numerous  families  with 
harnessed  wagons.  They  intended  to  go  to  Alabama,  the  district 
61  country  lately  sold  by  the  United  States,  and  there  to  set 
themselves  down  and  fall  to  hewing  and  building  I  saw  three 
families  sitting  on  a  long  fallen  tree,  to  which  they  had  set  fire 


19 

in  three  places.  These  groups  placed  themselves  in  a  very  pic 
turesque  manner;  but  their  way  of  acting  is  very  dangerous. 
The  night  before  we  saw  the  woods  on  fire  in  three  different  di 
rections,  and  the  fire  was  without  doubt  occasioned  by  such  emi 
grants  as  these.  The  lofty  pine  trees  look  very  handsome  while 
burning,  when  they  are  insulated,  but  the  owner  of  the  forest  has 
all  the  trouble  attending  it  to  himself. 

The  country  which  we  passed  through  towards  morning  was 
hilly,  the  bottom  constantly  sandy,  towards  the  last,  mixed  with 
clay  and  rock.  The  trees  were  nothing  but  long-leafed  pines. 
Close  by  Milledgeville,  we  crossed  the  Oconee  river  on  a  bridge 
that  had  been  finished  but  a  few  days,  and  which  rested  on  wooden 
piles.  Until  now  the  river  was  passed  by  a  ferry-boat.  Both 
shores  are  very  high  and  steep,  so  that  going  in  and  coming  out 
were  attended  with  great  difficulty. 

Milledgeville  lies  upon  elevated  ground,  the  town  is  very  re 
gularly  built,  its  broad  streets  are  right-angled,  they  are,  how 
ever,  unpaved.  It  numbers  about  three  thousand  inhabitants  of 
both  complexions.  It  was  established  about  twenty  years  ago, 
and  increased  very  rapidly  from  its  commencement,  as  it  is  the 
capital  of  the  state  of  Georgia,  and  the  seat  of  the  legislature.  Its 
increase  is  now  calculated  to  be  checked,  since  the  story  goes  that 
the  seat  of  government  will  be  changed  to  the  newly-founded 
town  of  Macon,  or  when  the  state  has  conquered  congress  in  the 
cause  yet  depending  before  that  body,  and  part  of  the  Creek  In 
dians  territory  is  obtained,  then  it  will  be  placed  at  Athens,  where 
the  university  of  the  state  is  situated.  We  took  up  our  residence 
at  La  Fayette  Hall,  a  large  tavern. 

Soon  after  our  arrival,  I  took  a  walk  through  the  town.  It 
contains  mostly  wooden  houses,  but  they  were  good  and  even 
elegantly  built,  good  stores,  also  a  bookseller's  shop,  and  several 
printing  presses.  There  are  published  here  four  gazettes,  which 
a  little  while  since  were  exceedingly  active  on  the  sides  of  the 
two  parties  who  oppose  each  other  in  the  state.  One  party  is 
that  of  Governor  Troup,  who,  from  his  discussions  with  the 
United  States  concerning  the  Creek  territory,  and  on  account  of 
his  warmth  in  his  official  correspondence,  has  become  noted;  the 
other  is  the  party  of  the  former  governor,  General  Clark,  who  is, 
in  all  appearance,  a  very  mild  man,  and  very  much  respected  by 
sensible  and  well-disposed  persons.  At  the  last  election  of  the 
governor,  it  was  believed  and  hoped  that  General  Clark  would  be 
chosen.  He  had  the  majority  of  the  legislature  in  his  favour,  yet, 
as  the  governor  in  this  state  is  chosen  for  two  years  by  the  people, 
and  every  man  that  pays  half  a  dollar  tax  has  a  vote,  it  so  happen 
ed  that  Governor  Troup  succeeded,  by  his  popularity,  in  bearing 
off  the  palm. 


20 

I  examined  the  state-house,  which  is  a  simple,  but  well-finished 
brick  building  of  two  stories.  In  the  ground  floor  are  the  offices, 
in  the  upper  story  two  halls,  one  is  for  the  senate,  the  other  for 
the  representatives.  In  each  there  is  a  seat,  with  a  canopy,  for 
the  speaker.  The  senators  have  each  a  desk  before  them,  in  the 
hall  of  the  representatives  one  desk  serves  two  persons.  All 
places  are  numbered,  to  prevent  awkward  encounters.  In  each 
hall  there  is  a  gallery  for  the  public.  The  state-house  is  placed 
alone  on  a  little  eminence.  In  its  neighbourhood  stands  the 
state  arsenal.  Another  house  belonging  to  the  state,  is  appoint 
ed  for  the  residence  of  the  governor.  Mr.  Troup,  notwithstand 
ing,  does  not  inhabit  it;  he  has  no  family  establishment,  and 
has  domesticated  himself  in  a  plain  boarding-house.  We  intend 
ed  to  pay  him  our  respects,  he  could  not,  however,  receive  us, 
as  he  lay  dangerously  ill  of  a  pleurisy.  Through  two  friends, 
Colonel  Hamilton  and  Mr.  Ringold,  he  tendered  us  his  apolo 
gies,  and  these  gentlemen,  in  his  name,  proffered  us  their  ser 
vices. 

We  were  then  carried  to  the  state  prison,  a  large  brick  edifice, 
under  the  superintendence  of  Mr.  Williams,  and  contained 
seventy-six  prisoners.  All  these  were  white  persons,  for  the 
black  were  punished  by  the  whip,  and  not  with  imprisonment.  No 
idleness  was  suffered  among  the  prisoners.  If  one  understood 
no  mechanical  trade,  he  was  obliged  to  learn  one.  I  found  most 
of  them  employed  in  wagon  and  saddle-making;  others  laboured 
in  a  smithy;  others  as  shoemakers  or  tailors.  The  greatest  quiet 
and  silence  prevailed  among  the  prisoners.  Their  dress  is  blue, 
with  broad  white  stripes  upon  all  the  seams.  The  interior  of  the 
lodging-house  did  not  please  me  as  much  as  the  workshops. 
Cleanliness,  so  indispensable  to  such  an  establishment,  was  want 
ing  here;  it  was  neither  swept  nor  scrubbed,  and  in  the  cells  of 
the  prisoners,  in  which  four  or  five  slept  upon  the  floor,  the  woollen 
coverlets  and  pillows  lay  confusedly  together.  There  were  also 
cells  for  solitary  confinement,  this  was,  however,  used  only  as  a 
means  of  house  discipline.  The  eating  room  was  equally  dis 
agreeable  to  me.  A  piece  of  cooked  meat  was  laid  on  the  table 
for  each  prisoner,  without  knives,  forks,  or  plates.  Bread  did 
not  appear  to  be  furnished  every  day;  at  least  the  day  we  were 
there,  none  was  to  be  seen.  The  prison  is  surrounded  by  a  high 
wall,  at  each  of  its  four  corners  stands  a  sentry-box  for  the  watch, 
which  they  ascend  from  without,  and  from  which  the  whole  yard 
can  be  overlooked.  This  establishment  is  so  well  conducted, 
that  it  occasions  no  expense  to  the  state,  on  the  contrary,  it  pro 
duces  a  profit.  Upon  the  principal  building  stands  a  turret,  which 
commands  an  extensive  view  over  the  town  and  circumjacent 
country.  The  district  around  appears  uneven  and  covered  with 


21 

wood,  the  monotony  of  the  view  is  relieved  by  nothing.     The 
woods  begin  at  the  edge  of  the  town. 

Colonel  Hamilton  and  Dr.  Rogers  accompanied  us  on  Christ 
mas  day  to  the  state-house.  A  travelling  Unitarian  clergyman 
from  the  northern  states  held  divine  service  in  the  hall  of  repre 
sentatives.  The  generality  of  people  here  are  either  Methodists 
or  Baptists.  As  the  Unitarian  had  found  the  churches  here  shut 
on  this  day,  he  had  opened  his  temple  in  the  state-house.  His 
audience  was  composed  of  the  beau  monde,  as  a  Unitarian  was 
something  new.  He  delivered  a  good  discourse,  in  which  he  set 
forth  pure  morality,  and  received  general  approbation.  After 
dinner  he  proposed  to  give  a  second  service,  for  the  purpose  of 
expounding  the  doctrines  of  his  belief,  as  founded  on  common 
sense. 

Colonel  Hamilton,  a  particular  friend  of  Governor  Troup,  was 
formerly  secretary  of  state  of  Georgia.  The  appointment  to  this 
office  belongs  to  the  legislature.  This  was  the  cause  that  though 
Troup  is  again  chosen  governor  by  the  people,  Mr.  Hamilton  and 
all  the  friends  of  the  governor  have  lost  their  places,  which  are 
occupied  by  persons  attached  to  the  Clark  party.  Dr.  Rodgers 
was  secretary  of  the  state  treasury,  and  has  been  deprived  of  his 
office  from  the  same  cause.  We  saw  here  several  Indians  of 
both  sexes,  from  the  Creek  nation,  who  sold  bows,  arrows,  and 
very  neatly  made  baskets.  These  Indians  had  a  much  better  ap 
pearance  than  those  I  saw  in  the  western  part  of  the  state  of  New 
York  and  Canada.  Afterwards  several  of  the  grandees  of  the 
country  were  presented  to  me  by  Colonel  Hamilton.  All  these 
gentlemen  had  their  own  peculiar  character.  It  was  evident 
that  they  lived  in  a  state  separated  from  the  civilized  world. 

We  were  constrained  to  remain  in  Milledgeville  on  the  day 
after  Christmas,  how  unpleasant  soever  it  might  be.  No  stage 
goes  from  this  place  through  the  Indian  territory  to  Montgo 
mery  on  the  Alabama  river,  whither  we  intended  to  bend  our 
way.  We  therefore  hired  for  this  journey  of  one  hundred  and 
ninty-eight  miles,  a  four-horse  extra  stage,  for  the  price  of  two 
hundred  and  twenty-five  dollars;  this  stage  was  at  present  under 
repair  in  the  state  prison,  and  could  not  be  placed  at  our  dispo 
sal  before  the  27th  of  December.  It  was  necessary  for  us  to  have 
patience,  and  pass  the  time  as  well  as  possible,  and  the  few  gen 
tlemen  with  whom  we  had  formed  acquaintance  exerted  them 
selves  to  amuse  us. 

On  the  27th  of  December  we  left  Milledgeville  at  nine  o'clock 
in  the  morning.  It  was  a  pretty  cold  day,  and  there  was  ice  half 
an  inch  thick.  We  rode  only  thirty  miles  to  Macon.  In  spite 
of  the  large  sum  of  money  which  our  carriage  had  cost  us,  it 
broke  twice;  the  repairs  consumed  much  time,  and  we  left  it 


22 

several  miles  behind.  The  day  was  very  clear,  and  towards 
midday  moderately  warm,  in  the  evening  there  was  again  a 
strong  frost.  I  was  pleased  with  the  dark  blue  of  the  sky,  such 
as  we  hardly  have  in  Germany  in  a  midsummer's  day.  We 
met  with  several  families,  emigrating  with  their  property  to 
Macon  and  the  State  of  Alabama.  One  of  these  families,  who 
had  paid  their  wagoners  beforehand,  had  been  left  by  them  under 
frivolous  pretext  in  the  middle  of  the  woods,  two  miles  from 
Milledgeville:  we  found  these  unfortunate  persons,  who  had 
made  a  bivouac,  after  they  had  waited  several  days  in  vain  for 
their  runaway  wagoner  and  his  horses.  Several  lonely  houses 
which  we  passed  were  grog-shops,  in  which  the  neighbours 
were  celebrating  the  third  day  of  the  Christmas  holy-days.  Every 
thing  as  at  home,  thought  I,  and  fancied  that  I  was  in  a  European 
country.  We  noticed  a  gentleman  and  lady  on  horseback,  the 
horses  were  not  loaded  completely,  a  barefooted  negro  wench 
was  obliged  to  run  with  a  heavy  sack  of  corn  on  her  shoulders 
to  feed  the  horses!  Then  I  was  convinced,  and  with  pleasure, 
that  I  was  not  in  Europe!  The  road  was  sandy,  uneven,  and 
passed  through  pine  woods.  This  wood  was  here  and  there 
cleared,  and  a  patch  of  cotton  and  Indian  corn  planted.  Close 
by  Macon  we  crossed  the  Oakmulgee  river  in  a  ferry-boat, 
and  reached  the  town  after  sunset.  We  found  tolerable  accom 
modation  in  a  new  tavern. 

The  country  in  which  Macon  is  situated,  was  first  purchased 
from  the  Creek  Indians,  in  the  year  1822,  and  the  town  began 
about  two  years  ago.  In  the  last  war,  the  Indians  had  collected 
a  number  of  their  people  here,  and  the  United  States  built  Fort 
Hawkins,  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  at  present  deserted. 

In  Macon  we  received  a  visit  from  a  Colonel  Danah,  who  for 
merly  served  in  the  army,  and  was  now  settled  here.  He  intro 
duced  to  me  several  of  the  distinguished  people  of  the  place,  who 
had  come  to  see  me.  The  town  has  only  three  streets,  which 
crossed  at  right  angles.  At  the  point  of  intersection  is  a  large 
square,  there  are  houses  only  on  three  sides  of  it;  on  the  fourth 
side  it  is  contemplated  to  erect  the  capitol,  if,  as  it  has  been  pro 
posed,  the  government  should  be  removed  here  from  Milledge 
ville.  One  street  runs  perpendicular  to  the  line  of  the  river, 
over  which  a  bridge  is  intended  to  be  built:  the  mason  work  for 
its  support  has  been  completed  on  both  sides.  The  streets  are  about 
one  hundred  feet  wide,  the  roots  of  the  felled  trees  are  visible  in 
them,  of  which  trees  the  houses  are  constructed  throughout. 
The  place  contains  about  sixteen  hundred  inhabitants,  white  and 
black.  The  population  are  partly  young  people  from  Georgia, 
%  emigrants  from  the  two  Carolinas  and  the  northern 
states,  who  have  fixed  themselves  here  from  motives  of  specu- 


23 

lation.  Although  the  site  of  the  new  town  is  represented  as  ex 
tremely  healthy,  yet  they  have  suffered  during  the  preceding 
summer  from  bilious  fever.  The  country  around  is  little  built 
upon,  and  the  woods  begin  not  far  behind  the  houses. 

About  nine  o'clock  in  the  morning,  on  the  28th  December, 
we  left  Macon  and  rode  thirty-one  miles  distance  to  the  Indian 
agency,  on  the  left  bank  of  Flint  river,  called  by  the  Indians, 
Thlo-no-teas-kah.  The  road  was  partly  sandy,  partly  rocky,  but 
extremely  uneven.  It  was  kept  in  very  bad  order.  No  pains 
had  been  taken  to  carry  away  or  saw  through  trees,  which  had 
fallen  more  than  a  year  back  crosswise  over  the  road ;  the  carriage 
was  obliged  to  make  a  considerable  deviation  through  the  woods 
to  pass  these  fallen  trees.  The  plantations  by  which  we  passed, 
are  all  new;  the  houses  were  completely  log  huts.  The  tiresome 
uniformity  of  the  pine  woods  were,  in  the  low  and  marshy 
places  into  which  we  often  came,  very  pleasantly  interrupted  by 
evergreen  cane,  as  well  as  by  thorn  oaks  and  laurel  trees,  we 
also  saw  several  green-leaved  trees,  chiefly  oaks,  as  formerly. 

Towards  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  reached  the  agency, 
a  group  of  twenty  log  houses,  and  some  negro  huts.  It  is  ap 
pointed  for  the  residence  of  the  agent  of  the  United  States  with 
the  Creek  Indians,  (he,  however,  was  absent  at  this  time,)  and  is 
situated  in  a  very  handsome  tract  of  land  on  the  left  side  of  the 
Flint  river,  which  rushes  over  a  rocky  bed  between  pretty  steep 
banks.  The  right  bank  belongs  to  the  Creek  nation,  of  about 
twenty-one  thousand  souls,  and  is  inhabited  by  them.  The  con 
test  between  the  state  of  Georgia  and  the  United  States  is  caused 
by  this  territory.  The  state  of  Georgia  had  concluded  a  treaty 
with  one  of  the  Creek  chiefs,  M'Intosh,  concerning  the  surrender 
of  this  district  of  land;  the  nation,  discontented  with  the  treaty, 
and  is  nowise  willing  to  evacuate  their  country,  insisted  that  they 
had  been  deceived,  and  killed  M'Intosh.  The  United  States  es 
poused  the  side  of  the  Indians,  and  blamed  the  Georgia  commis 
sioners  for  scandalous  impositions  upon  the  Indians.  Congress 
is  now  about  to  decide  upon  this  matter.  In  one  of  the  log-houses, 
with  a  Mr.  Crowell,  we  took  up  our  night's  lodging,  and  enjoyed 
some  very  well  cooked  venison.  In  a  neighbouring  grog-shop 
we  found  a  collection  of  drunken  Indians,  and  some  negroes,  who 
were  frolicing  during  the  Christmas  holy-days.  Several  of  them 
were  well  dressed;  they  wore  mocassins  and  leggings  of  leather; 
broad  knee-bands  ornamented  with  white  glass  beads,  a  sort  of 
coat  of  striped  cotton,  and  upon  the  head  a  striped  cotton  cloth, 
almost  like  a  turban.  Several  of  them  were  very  large.  For  a 
treat  of  whiskey,  which  I  gave  them,  eight  of  them  performed 
the  war  dance.  They  skipped  here  and  there  in  a  circle,  moved 


24 

themselves  right  and  left,  sprung  against  each  other,  raised  their 
hands  on  high,  let  them  fall  again,  and  bellowed  horribly  through 
the  whole  scene.  Some  old  men  who  stood  near,  took  it  in 
dudgeon,  that  the  young  men  should  dance  in  such  a  way  before 
white  people.  They  called  to  them  to  stop.  Mr.  Crowell, 
however,  brought  them  to  silence  easily,  by  whiskey. 

The  colour  of  these  Indians  is  a  dusky  brown.  They  have 
black  straight  hair.  Several  of  them  possess  negroes,  to  whom 
it  is  very  acceptable  to  live  with  them,  since  they  are  treated  with 
more  equality  than  by  the  whites.  Some  of  these  negroes  were 
very  well  clothed  in  the  Indian  manner,  they  drank  and  jumped 
about  with  the  Indians.  One  of  them  was  of  colossal  stature,  and 
appeared  to  be  in  great  request  among  the  Indians,  to  whom  he 
served  as  interpreter.  The  constitution  of  these  Indians  is  a  mix 
ture  of  aristocratical  and  republican  form  of  government.  The 
chiefs  are  chosen  for  life,  and  the  dignity  is  not  hereditary;  for 
improper  conduct  they  can  be  deposed.  They  cannot  write 
their  language.  Their  laws  are  of  course  very  simple,  and  founded 
on  traditionary  usage. 

It  had  rained  hard  in  the  night,  between  the  28th  and  29th  of 
December,  it  rained  also  in  the  day,  almost  incessantly,  yet  this 
rain  was  mild  and  warm,  nearly  like  a  spring  rain  in  Germany. 
There  was  a  consultation,  whether  we  should  remain  or  go  farther 
on,  I  determined  on  the  latter.  About  nine  o'clock  we  left  our 
night  quarters.  In  the  vicinity  thereof,  the  governor  of  the  state 
of  Georgia  had  built  Fort  Lawrence,  which  was  evacuated,  and 
given  up  at  the  peace.  The  houses,  which  belonged  to  the  agency, 
were  then  built  as  magazines  and  hospitals  for  the  troops,  and  ar 
ranged  for  a  post  of  defence.  Near  the  chimney,  and  the  doors 
and  windows,  (the  last  without  glass  sashes,)  were  loop-holes 
pierced.  Behind  this  post  we  passed  the  Flint  river  in  an  In 
dian  ferry-boat,  and  found  ourselves  landed  upon  their  territory. 
We  rode  twenty-eight  miles  farther  to  a  lonely  plantation,  called 
CurrePs.  The  road  ran  through  the  worst  part  of  the  Indian  lands, 
the  woods  consisted  as  before,  of  the  long-leaved  pine,  and  it  was 
only  in  damp  places  we  observed  green  leaves.  In  particular, 
there  grew  high  and  beautiful  cane.  The  soil  is  for  the  most 
part  dry  sand,  in  strata,  and  particularly  in  the  bottoms  it  is 
mixed  with  clay,  and  of  a  full  yellow  colour.  The  Indians  have 
thrown  bridges  over  two  brooks  with  marshy  shores,  at  each  of 
them  we  paid,  with  great  pleasure,  half  a  dollar  toll-money.  The 
bridges  are  indeed  not  remarkably  good,  yet  better  than  several 
in  the  Christian  state  of  Georgia,  and  even  in  many  of  the  more 
northern  states.  We  met  but  few  of  the  Indian  inhabitants;  these 
were  all  wrapt  up  in  woollen  blankets.  We  only  saw  three  wig- 


25 

warns,  Indian  houses,  chiefly  toll-houses  of  the  bridges.  They 
resemble  the  log-houses,  neither  are  they  so  open  as  those  which 
I  saw  last  summer  in  the  state  of  New  York.  The  day  was  ex 
ceedingly  uninteresting.  Mr.  Currelj  with  whom  we  passed  the 
night,  is  a  Virginian,  who  has  settled  here  for  the  opportunity  of 
speculating  among  the  Indians,  from  whom  he  purchased  his  land 
at  a  rather  cheap  rate:  to  judge  from  his  habits  of  intoxication, 
he  has  already  adapted  himself  too  much  to  their  mode  of  life. 
His  plantation  buildings  are,  as  all  the  rest,  log  huts:  the  wind  blew 
to  our  heart's  content  through  the  room;  no  lamp  could  burn, 
and  we  were  forced  to  use  a  great  hearth  fire  to  give  us  light. 
There  was  no  ceiling  to  our  room,  but  a  transparent  roof  of  clap 
boards  directly  over  us.  I  was  surprised  to  discover  Shakspeare's 
works  in  this  place.  In  one  of  the  out-houses  there  was  a  very 
good  supper  set  before  us,  at  which,  especially,  we  had  excellent 
venison. 

Upon  the  30th  of  December,  after  we  had  passed  a  cold  night 
in  our  clap-board  hut,  which  allowed  the  storm  free  admission, 
and  locked  our  few  articles  of  property  in  our  chamber,  from 
fear  of  the  Indians  sneaking  about,  we  started  before  break  of  day, 
and  rode  a  distance  of  thirty-three  miles  to  Fort  Mitchel.  The 
weather  was  cold  the  whole  day  through,  and  threatened  rain. 
The  country  again  very  uninteresting,  mostly  pines,  a  sandy  soil, 
here  and  there  mingled  with  clay:  at  length  wood  with  green 
leaves.  Only  in  low  situations,  along  the  rivulets,  of  which  we 
passed  three,  was  the  vegetation  to  be 'admired.  The  laurel 
bushes  particularly  looked  well.  It  gave  me  real  pleasure  to  be 
able  to  walk  in  a  green  thicket  along  a  brook,  which  I  could  have 
accomplished  with  difficulty  in  summer,  since  these  bushes  are 
the  favourite  resort  of  a  great  number  of  rattlesnakes.  In  a  soli 
tary  plantation  we  took  our  breakfast;  it  belonged  to  a  Mr.  Col- 
frey,  a  worthy  old  Virginian,  who  had  lost  a  considerable  pro 
perty,  and  to  better  his  circumstances,  had  determined  on  the 
hard  alternative  of  settling  among  the  Indians.  We  found  his 
plantation  in  a  very  uncommon  state  of  order  and  neatness,  and 
we  were  delighted  by  an  unexpected  and  most  excellent  break 
fast.  Mr.  Bowdoin  said  to  the  owner  of  the  place,  that  he  ap 
peared  as  if  he  had  not  always  lived  thus  among  the  savages,  and 
never  can  I  forget  how  the  old  man,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  turn 
ed  away  without  making  an  answer. 

We  met  with  several  wigwams,  and  various  temporary  cabins 
of  travelling  Indians,  also  a  number  of  bridges,  at  which  we 
were  obliged  to  pay  the  Indians  toll.  The  country  was  very 
hilly  till  we  came  into  a  valley,  a  mile  from  our  night  quarters, 
through  which  the  Chatahouchee  flowed.  This  river  empties 
itself  into  the  Mexican  gulf.  The  district,  even  to  the  left  bank 

VOL.  II.  4 


26 

of  the  river,  is  rather  marshy,  grown  up  with  willows,  laurel, 
and  cane.  Not  far  from  the  river  we  beheld  several  buildings 
appointed  for  the  popular  assembly  of  the  Indians,  called  the  big 
talk.  They  are  large  and  round,  having  a  conical-formed  roof, 
covered  with  tree-bark;  they  have  walls  of  lime,  and  a  covered 
low  entrance  also  of  lime.  The  Indians  assemble  in  these  build 
ings  only  in  bad  weather,  or  at  night,  and  then  a  fire  kindled  in 
the  middle  of  the  house,  gives  light.  In  good  weather  they 
collect  in  a  square  place  covered  with  sheds,  under  which  the  In 
dians  sit  down  on  planks  protected  from  the  sun's  heat.  There 
is  also  another  place  for  public  games,  and  particularly  for  ball- 
playing.  They  appeared  here  also  to  have  a  species  of  masque 
rade,  for  we  found  some  in  a  half  gourd,  cut  through  and  made 
into  a  mask,  with  eyes  and  mouth  cut  in  it,  and  the  nose  set 
on  of  a  piece  of  wood.  From  the  neck  of  the  gourd,  which 
was  cut  at  half  its  length,  they  had  made  a  pair  of  horns,  and 
fasted  them  on  the  mask,  and  under  this  a  long  white  beard. 

We  passed  the  river  Chatahouchee  at  one  of  the  ferries  belonging 
to  the  Indians,  and  kept  in  order  by  them.  The  right  bank  is  some 
what  steep,  of  red  earth,  which,  from  the  violent  rain,  had  be 
come  slippery.  Half  a  mile  from  the  ferry  brought  us  to  Fort 
Mitchel.  It  stood  upon  a  height,  and  was  situated  to  the  right 
of  us.  We  dismounted  not  far  from  this,  between  Indian  wig 
wams  at  Crowell's  tavern.  The  host  was  a  brother  of  the  Indian 
agent.  This  house  has  also  a  plantation  attached  to  it,  as  the  one 
above-mentioned  had.  "  Colonel  Wool  and  I  were  lodged  in  an 
airy  out-house  of  clap-boards,  without  a  ceiling,  and  windows 
without  glass.  We  were  accommodated  with  freer  circulation 
than  would  have  fallen  to  our  lot  in  a  German  barn.  Four  com 
panies  of  the  fourth  regiment  of  infantry,  the  staff  of  which  was 
fixed  at  Pensacola,  lay  in  garrison  at  the  fort.  The  commandant, 
Major  Donoho,  and  his  officers  had  taken  board  at  Crowell's  ta 
vern;  in  the  evening  we  made  acquaintance  with  them.  The 
most  of  these  officers,  pupils  of  the  school  at  West  Point,  were 
men  of  information,  and  we  passed  the  remainder  of  the  evening 
much  pleased  with  their  society. 

We  made  the  31st  of  December  a  day  of  rest,  as  Colonel 
Wool  had  to  inspect  the  garrison  of  the  fort.  The  four  compa 
nies  here  stationed  form  properly  the  garrison  of  Pensacola,  and 
were  only  sent  here  last  summer  during  the  contest  between 
Georgia  and  the  United  States,  to  protect  the  Creeks  against  the 
encroachments  of  that  State.  It  openly  wishes  to  take  possession 
of  the  Indian  territory  to  the  Chatahouchee,  to  which  river, 
agreeable  to  the  charter,  Georgia  extends.  The  right  bank 
of  the  river,  on  which  we  now  found  ourselves,  is  in  the  ju 
risdiction  of  the  State  of  Alabama.  The  troops  arriving,  at  first 


27 

encamped  here,  but  immediately  commenced  building  a  new  but 
smaller  fort,  on  the  spot  where  Fort  Mitchell  stands,  so  called  in 
honour  of  the  then  governor  of  Georgia,  which  they  now  oc 
cupy.  They  hoped,  however,  that  they  should  return  to  Pensa- 
cola  as  soon  as  the  disagreements  had  been  settled. 

After  the  inspection,  we  took  a  walk  to  a  plantation  lying  near, 
which  belonged  to  an  Indian  named  M'Intosh.  He  was  absent 
at  Washington  as  a  delegate  from  his  nation.  He  is  the  son  of 
that  M'Intosh,  who  obtained  from  the  State  of  Georgia  the  title 
of  General,  and  who  last  spring,  on  account  of  the  treaty  with 
the  state,  had  been  shot  by  his  countrymen  and  hewed  in  pieces. 
Polygamy  prevails  among  the  Indians.  The  young  M'Intosh 
had  indeed  only  two  wives,  a  white  woman  and  an  Indian. 
They  say  he  had  several  wives  whom  he  wished  to  keep:  the 
white  woman  however  had  driven  them  with  scolding  and  dis 
grace  out  of  the  house,  as  she  would  only  submit  to  one  Indian 
rival.  We  did  not  see  the  Indian  wife.  The  white  wife,  how 
ever,  received  us  quite  politely.  She  is  the  daughter  of  a 
planter  in  Georgia,  and  tolerably  pretty.  She  was  attired  in  the 
European  style,  only  according  to  the  Indian  fancy  in  dress,  she 
carried  a  quantity  of  glass  beads  about  her  neck.  She  showed 
us  her  two  children,  completely  white,  and  also  the  portrait  of  her 
father-in-law,  as  large  as  life,  with  the  sword  of  honour  given 
him  by  the  United  States.  The  family  is  in  very  good  circum 
stances,  and  possesses  seventy  negroes. 

In  the  afternoon  we  went  to  a  Methodist  mission,  one  short 
mile  distant.  We  found  none  but  the  women  at  home.  The  mis 
sionaries  have  established  a  school,  which  is  frequented  by  thirty 
children.  They  have  three  Indian  girls,  boarders,  who  were  ex 
tremely  modest.  The  mission  is  situated  in  a  handsome  planta 
tion,  on  which  I  saw  tame  deer.  The  deer  here  are  evidently 
smaller  than  those  in  Europe. 

Sunday,  the  1st  of  January,  1826,  we  were  awakened  by  the 
drums  and  fifes,  which  announced  the  new  year,  by  playing  Hail 
Columbia  and  Yankee  Doodle.  With  the  break  of  day,  between 
seven  and  eight  o'clock,  we  left  Fort  Mitchel,  and  rode  twenty- 
five  miles  to  a  plantation  called  Lewis's,  which  is  located  on  the 
spot,  upon  which,  in  the  last  war,  Fort  Bainbridge  stood.  The 
road  ran  through  a  very  hilly  country.  At  first  the  soil  was 
sandy  and  poor,  it  bore  nothing  but  pine  trees.  After  we  had 
passed  over  half  the  distance,  the  soil  improved,  it  looked  red 
dish-yellow,  and  the  apparently  everlasting  pines  gave  place  to 
handsome  oaks  and  lofty  hickories.  On  the  other  hand  the  car- 
riage  road  became  very  bad,  and  in  a  narrow  place  we  upset. 
The  carriage  fell  slowly  towards  my  side,  I  took  the  right  mo 
ment,  sprung  from  the  box  on  which  I  sat,  and  fell  upon  my 


28 

feet.  This  was  the  eighth  time  I  had  been  overturned,  and 
never  did  I  escape  so  cheap  as  on  this  occasion.  As  none  of  the 
other  gentlemen  were  injured,  we  could  happily  laugh  at  our 
accident.  The  carriage  was  somewhat  damaged,  and  since  we 
were  only  four  miles  distant  from  Lewis's,  and  had  very  fine 
weather,  a  true  spring  day,  with  clear  dark-blue  sky,  we  went  the 
rest  of  the  way  on  foot. 

We  passed  several  wigwams  and  temporary  Indian  huts,  in 
which  the  men  lived  with  the  hogs,  and  lay  around  the  fire  with 
them.  A  hut  of  this  description  is  open  in  front,  behind  it  is 
closed  with  pieces  of  wood  and  bark.  The  residents  live  on 
roasted  venison  and  Indian  corn.  The  hides  of  the  deer,  and 
even  of  cattle,  they  stretch  out  to  dry  in  the  sun,  and  then  sell 
them.  At  one  hut,  covered  with  cane  leaves,  there  was  venison 
roasting,  and  bacon  smoking.  The  venison  is  cut  in  pieces,  and 
spitted  on  a  cane  stalk,  many  such  stalks  lie  upon  two  blocks 
near  each  other.  Under  these  the  fire  is  kindled,  and  the  stalk 
continually  turned  round,  till  the  flesh  is  dried  through.  Upon 
this  is  laid  a  hurdle  made  of  cane  which  rests  on  four  posts.  To 
this  are  all  the  large  pieces  suspended.  The  hams  of  bacon  are 
laid  upon  the  hurdle  so  that  the  smoke  may  draw  through  them. 

The  grass  in  many  parts  of  the  woods  was  in  a  blaze,  and  many 
pine  trees  were  burning.  We  crossed  two  small  streams,  the 
Great  and  Little  Uchee,  on  tolerable  wooden  bridges.  Between 
three  and  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  reached  Lewis's,  a 
handsome  house,  the  best  that  we  had  found  in  the  Indian  terri 
tory.  We  took  here  an  excellent  dinner.  We  ate  daily  of  the 
best  of  venison.  In  Fort  Mitchel  we  had  eaten  partridges,  of 
which  the  officers  in  one  day  took  fifty-seven  in  the  morning, 
and  forty-six  in  the  evening,  in  their  nets.  For  the  singularity 
of  the  thing,  I  will  notice  our  dinner  of  to-day,  that  the  inquisi 
tive  reader  may  observe  that  one  is  in  no  danger  of  hunger  on 
the  lands  of  the  Indians:  soup  of  turnips,  roast-beef,  a  roast-tur 
key,  venison  with  a  kind  of  sour  sauce,  roast-chickens,  and  pork 
with  sweet  potatoes. 

On  the  2d  of  January  we  rode  thirty-one  miles  to  Walker's, 
also  a  solitary  plantation.  The  country  hilly,  the  road  bad  to 
such  a  degree  that  we  could  only  creep  along  in  the  most  tedious 
manner,  and  were  obliged  to  proceed  on  foot  very  often.  The 
wood  on  the  other  hand  grew  better,  and  better,  and  consisted, 
besides  the  pines,  of  handsome  oaks,  and  various  sorts  of  nut- 
bearing  trees,  mostly  hickories:  the  soil,  for  the  most  part,  of  a 
reddish  yellow.  In  several  marshy  places,  and  on  the  banks  of 
rivulets,  we  saw  again  the  evergreen  trees  and  bushes,  and  in  a 
swamp  nearly  a  mile  long,  through  which  a  causeway  ran,  some 
magnolia  grand iflora  which  were  at  least  sixty  feet  high.  I  also 


29 

saw  here  again  several  trees,  which  first  forming  one  trunk,  four 
or  five  feet  above  the  ground,  divided  themselves  into  two  trunks, 
and  then  shot  up  into  the  air  one  hundred  feet.  In  the  north 
western  part  of  the  state  of  New  York,  I  have  seen  trees  which 
ran  up  in  five,  six,  and  even  seven  trunks.  Over  a  stream 
with  marshy  banks,  a  bridge  was  thrown,  three  hundred  and 
eleven  paces  long:  the  view  which  I  took  from  this  bridge  of  the 
luxuriant  exotic  vegetation  which  surrounded  me,  exhibited,  as  I 
thought,  the  original  of  the  sketches  of  the  Brazilian  forests  in 
the  travels  of  the  Prince  Nieuwied.  The  beautiful  day,  the  cloud 
less  dark-blue  sky,  also  introduced  by  him,  were  recalled  to  me 
by  this  picture.  But  when  I  observed  upon  the  trees  the  hateful 
Spanish  moss,  I  was  reminded  that  I  was  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Columbia  and  Charleston,  and  that  it  was  a  token  of  unwhole 
some  air.  In  the  swamps  I  noticed  several  plants  which  were 
known  to  me  from  hot-house  cultivation,  but  unfortunately  I  can 
not  recall  their  names. 

The  country  is  comparatively  populously  inhabited  by  Indians. 
They  live  partly  in  wigwams,  partly  in  bark  cabins.  Before  one 
of  these  huts,  or  cabins,  hung  a  skinned  otter,  upon  which  they 
seemed  preparing  to  make  a  meal.  The  Indians  roast  their  maize 
on  the  naked  coals,  then  they  throw  it  into  a  cavity  made  in  a  trunk 
of  a  tree,  and  pound  it  with  a  stick  of  wood  into  a  sort  of  coarse 
meal.  I  bought  a  species  of  nuts,  which  were  roasted,  ground 
nuts,  and  amused  myself  with  the  propensity  to  thievery  a  young 
Indian  displayed.  As  I  was  putting  the  nuts  in  my  pocket,  one 
or  more  would  drop,  instantly  the  young  fellow  would  step  for 
ward,  as  if  by  accident,  set  his  foot  on  the  nut,  take  it  between 
his  toes,  and  move  off.  We  passed  through  a  tolerably  cleared, 
fenced,  and  built  district,  in  which  several  negro  quarters  of  a 
decent  appearance  were  scattered  about.  This  plantation  belonged 
to  a  chief,  one  of  the  principal  of  the  Creeks,  called  the  Big  War 
rior,  who  owns  above  three  hundred  negroes,  whose  wooden 
dwelling-house  stands  in  the.  centre  of  his  property.  He  is  now 
at  Washington,  as  one  of  the  deputies  of  his  nation.  We  came 
over  another  cleared  spot,  where  the  Indians  were  routed  in  the 
last  war  by  the  Georgia  militia  under  General  Floyd. 

Not  far  from  this  place,  we  noticed  a  number  of  Indians  col 
lected  in  the  neighbourhood  of  a  plantation.  We  left  our  carriage 
to  inquire  into  the  cause  of  it.  There  had  been  a  horse  race  of 
middling  unsightly  horses:  the  festival  was,  however,  ended, 
and  the  meeting  was  on  the  point  of  breaking  up.  A  white 
planter  who  was  there,  conducted  us  to  the  son  of  the  Big  War 
rior.  He  was  himself  a  chief,  and  possessed  a  high  reputation, 
as  was  said  amongst  those  of  the  nation.  He  sat  upon  a  felled 
tree  between  two  inferior  chiefs.  His  dress  was  a  tunic  of  flower- 


30 

ed,  clear  blue  calico,  a  piece  of  the  same  stuff  was  wrapped  round 
his  head  like  a  turban.  He  wore  richly  ornamented  leather  leg 
gings  set  with  glass  beads,  and  mocassins,  and  had  an  equally  or 
namented  hunting  pouch  hung  around  him.  Moderately  fat,  and 
of  a  great  stature,  he  appeared  to  be  about  thirty  years  old.  He 
had  mustaches  like  all  his  countrymen.  I  was  introduced  to  him, 
and  shook  hands  with  him.  The  conversation  was  very  trifling 
and  short.  It  took  place  through  an  interpreter  who  appeared  to 
be  a  dismissed  soldier.  This  creature  caused  the  chief  to  rise 
when  we  commenced  speaking  to  him ;  when  I  begged  him  to  re 
main  sitting,  he  reseated  himself  mechanically.  He  directed  no 
questions  to  me,  and  answered  mine  with  yes  and  no.  To  the 
question,  whether  he  knew  any  thing  of  the  country  of  which  I 
was  a  native,  he  answered  by  a  shake  of  the  head.  He  looked 
no  more  at  me.  Several  Indians  wore  their  hair  in  a  singular 
style;  it  was  shorn  on  both  sides  of  the  head,  and  the  middle, 
from  the  neck  over  to  the  forehead,  stood  up  like  a  cock's  comb. 
Seen  from  behind,  they  appeared  as  if  they  wore  a  helmet.  Quite 
small  boys  practised  themselves  already  in  shooting  with  a  little 
bow.  I  attempted  to  joke  with  a  little  fellow,  three 'years  old, 
but  he  took  the  jest  in  bad  £art,  and  threatened  me  with  his 
bow. 

After  sunset,  towards  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  we  reached 
Walker's,  and  found  a  good  reception  in  a  large  log-house,  each 
of  us  had  a  separate  chamber.  The  landlord  was  a  captain  of  in 
fantry  in  the  United  States'  service  formerly,  and  had,  as  our  host 
of  yesterday,  an  Indian  wife. 

On  the  following  day  we  rode  to  Montgomery,  twenty -five  miles 
distant.  The  road  was  in  the  beginning  bad,  afterwards,  however, 
really  good.  We  crossed  a  bridge  over  a  stream  one  hundred 
paces  long,  and  were  then  obliged  to  toil  over  a  long,  wretched 
causeway.  The  vegetation  was  again  exceedingly  luxuriant,  it 
was  remarkably  beautiful  on  the  banks  of  Line  Creek,  a  little 
river,  which  forms  the  boundary  between  the  Indian  territory  and 
the  state  of  Alabama,  eight  miles  from  Walker's.  Very  lofty  live 
oaks,  and  oaks  of  other  descriptions,  several  magnolias,  and 
amongst  them,  a  particularly  handsome  and  lofty  macrophylla. 

As  we  entered  upon  the  territory  of  Alabama,  we  soon  observ 
ed  that  we  were  upon  a  much  better  soil.  It  was  darker,  much 
wood  was  removed,  and  signs  of  cultivation  every  where.  Upon 
several  plantations,  the  cotton  fields  exhibited  themselves  in 
beautiful  order;  the  log  houses  were  only  employed  as  «negr 
cabins;  the  mansion-houses,  two  stories  high,  are  for  the  most 
part  painted  white,  and  provided  with  piazzas  and  balconies.  At 
most  of  them  the  cotton  gins  and  presses  were  at  work.  The 
planters  had  not  finished  the  whole  of  their  crop,  on  account  of 


31 

the  unusual  drought.  The  Alabama  river  was  so  low  that  the 
steam-boats  had  not  been  able  for  several  weeks  to  pass  from  Mo 
bile  to  Montgomery.  This  place  had  therefore,  for  a  length  of 
time,  suffered  for  the  want  of  the  most  necessary  supplies,  which 
are  drawn  from  Mobile;  fifteen  dollars  had  been  asked  for  one 
bushel  of  salt.  We  met  several  caravans  of  emigrants  from  the 
eastern  part  of  Georgia,  who  were  on  their  way  to  Butler  county, 
Alabama,  to  settle  themselves  on  land  which  they  had  purchased 
very  cheap  from  the  United  States.  The  number  of  their  negroes, 
wagons,  horses,  and  cattle,  showed  that  these  emigrants  were  in 
easy  circumstances.  On  account  of  the  bad  road,  we  went  at  first 
a  good  deal  on  foot;  at  one  of  the  creeks,  the  carriage  passed 
through  the  ford,  and  we  footmen  crossed  over  on  one  of  the 
simplest  bridges  in  the  world,  namely,  a  felled  pine  tree  of 
great  size.  We  arrived  at  Montgomery  about  two  o'clock.  In 
the  night  it  had  frozen,  but  the  day  had  solaced  us  with  the  warmth 
of  spring. 

Montgomery  lies  on  the  Alabama  river,  a  navigable  stream, 
which  rises  about  two  hundred  and  twenty  miles  above  this  place, 
and  after  it  has  joined  itself  to  the  Tombigbee,  empties  into  the 
Mexican  gulf,  below  Mobile.  The  town  contains  about  one 
thousand  two  hundred  inhabitants,  of  both  complexions.  It  has 
two  streets,  which  are  very  broad,  tolerably  good  houses,  one, 
not  yet  finished,  of  brick,  which  material  is  very  bad  here.  This 
place  was  first  laid  out  about  five  years  ago,  and  has  already  a 
very  lively  appearance.  On  the  bank  of  the  river,  they  were  em 
ployed  in  loading  two  steam-boats  with  cotton  bales,  as,  within 
a  few  days,  the  river  had  risen  five  feet,  and  the  navigation  was 
once  more  carried  on  with  animation. 

The  journey  by  water  from  Montgomery  to  Mobile,  is  four 
hundred  miles,  and  as  we  intended  to  go  this  way,  we  took 
a  look  at  the  two  steam -boats  lying  here,  the  Steubenville 
and  Hornet,  bound  for  Mobile.  We  chose  the  Steubenville, 
which  gave  out  to  start  on  the  next  day.  The  construction  of 
both  these  boats,  and  their  arrangement,  was  far  inferior  to  that 
of  the  steam-boats  in  the  north :  every  thing  was  coarser,  and  dis 
played  the  difference  between  the  civilization  of  the  two  different 
sections  of  the  union.  This  town  is  so  new,  that  the  original 
forest  still  stands  between  the  houses.  In  a  street  there  was  a 
well  digging;  I  discovered  by  this  that  the  earth  was  exceedingly 
well  adapted  to  brick-making,  and  that  an  industrious  man,  who 
should  establish  a  kiln  here,  must  make  a  handsome  profit  on  the 
business.  The  bricks  which  they  sell  here  at  ten  dollars  a  thousand, 
are  scandalous.  Of  the  inhabitants  I  heard  nothing  commenda 
ble:  and  how  can  this  young  town,  whose  situation,  at  least  in 


32 

summer,  is  unhealthy,  have  a  fixed. character;  how  can  it  attain 
a  high  degree  of  cultivation  ?  All  come  here  for  the  purpose  of 
amassing  property,  or  are  driven  here  by  the  prostration  of  their 
fortunes,  in  their  old  residence! 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Journey  from  Montgomery,  on  the  Jllabama  river,  to  Mobile, 
and  residence  in  that  city. 

THE  Steubenville,  commanded  by  Captain  Grover,  is  of  one 
handred  and  seventy  tons,  and  has  a  high  pressure  machine,  of 
fifty  horse-power.  Machines  like  these  are  very  dangerous,  and 
therefore  prohibited  in  the  Netherlands.  The  machine  of  the 
Steubenville  was  made  in  Pittsburg.  The  body  of  the  boat  is 
occupied  by  the  cargo,  the  cabins  are  upon  deck.  The  dining-room 
had  twelve  births ;  behind  this  is  a  gallery  with  some  apartments; 
the  last  one  was  hired  by  us.  Before  we  sailed,  two  Indians 
came  on  board,  who  wondered  very  much  at  my  double  barrelled 
gun,  with  percussion  locks;  they  had  never  seen  such  fire-arms 
before;  I  permitted  them  to  discharge  it,  and  gave  them  some  of 
the  copper  caps,  at  which  present  they  testified  great  delight. 

We  went  down  the  river  very  swiftly,  sixteen  miles  an  hour. 
The  banks  of  the  river  near  Montgomery  are  rather  high,  they 
consist  of  red  earth,  with  many  spots  of  flint,  and  covered  with 
willow-growth.  We  came  only  a  distance  of  eighteen  miles,  to 
a  place  called  Washington,  where  the  Hornet  lay,  and  where  we 
also  were  stopped,  to  remain  during  the  night  for  the  purpose  of 
taking  in  wood  and  cotton.  On  account  of  the  number  of  sand 
banks,  the  navigation  of  the  river  must  be  dangerous ;  the  captain 
assured  me  that  the  experienced  pilot  then  on  board,  had  one 
hundred  dollars  per  month  pay,  so  seldom  are  the  officers  of  the 
boats  here,  accustomed  to  the  localities ! 

The  next  morning  we  moved  on  at  break  of  day,  with  con 
siderable  rapidity  ;  but  we  soon  stopped  again,  to  take  in  some 
cotton  bales,  which  lay  ready  in  a  wood  on  the  shore.  We  had 
above  four  hundred  bales  already  on  board.  The  hold  of  the 
boat  was  full,  the  space  between  the  machine  and  the  first  cabin 
was  filled,  as  well  as  the  space  about  the  cabins,  and  the  roof 
over  them.  There  was  no  room  left  for  exercise  in  walking, 
and  in  the  cabin  it  was  very  dark.  The  first  delay  lasted  about 


33 

an  hour;  as  soon  as  we  were  in  motion  again,  we  were  obliged 
to  stop  for  several  hours,  as  one  of  the  two  pipes  fell,  and  drew 
the  other  with  it.  The  steward  standing  near,  was  wounded.  We 
pursued  our  journey  about  midday,  and  laid  by  again  towards 
sunset  to  take  in  wood,  and  remain  for  the  night,  as  the  water 
in  the  river  had  fallen,  and  the  sand  banks  were  numerous  in 
this  vicinity. 

We  went  on  shore  to  look  about,  and  found  ourselves  near  to 
a  plantation  with  extensive  cotton  fields,  a  cotton  gin,  and  a  large 
cotton  press.  There  is  a  vast  quantity  of  cotton  seed  left,  more 
than  is  required  for  the  next  year's  planting,  and  the  overplus  is 
used  for  manure.  I  am  well  convinced,  that  with  a  small  trouble 
and  little  expense,  a  very  good  oil  could  be  expressed  from  this 
seed.  It  was  thrown  out  in  great  heaps,  which  contained  so 
much  heat,  that  it  was  impossible  to  keep  my  hand  in  it  a  mo 
ment.  The  breadth  of  the  river  is  here  said  to  be  three  hundred 
yards,  but  I  cannot  believe  it  to  be  so  much.  The  right  bank 
may  be  about  sixty  feet  high,  it  rests  partly  on  sandstone,  and 
consists  of  many  layers  of  soil ;  the  left  bank  is  lower.  Both 
are  grown  up  with  wood,  close  to  the  water's  edge  with  willows, 
and  farther  back  with  different  sorts  of  trees;  lofty  oaks,  live 
oaks,  and  white  oaks,  which  only  flourish  in  the  south,  with 
plane  trees,  hickories,  and  other  nut-bearing  trees,  here  and  there 
with  beech,  ash,  and  alder,  and  also  with  tall  green  cane.  If  it 
were  not  so  warm  and  unhealthy  during  the  summer,  a  residence 
here  would  be  delightful.  We  saw  upon  the  river  many  flocks 
of  wild  geese  and  ducks,  and  upon  the  shore  several  buzzards. 
The  river  makes  a  number  of  turns,  and  contains  several  islands; 
yet  the  most  of  them  are  merely  sand  banks.  Upon  them  lie 
fallen  trees,  of  which  passing  vessels  must  take  great  care.  On 
the  banks  were  canoes,  which,  in  the  Indian  fashion,  were  hewed 
out  of  a  single  tree. 

On  the  6th  of  January,  the  boat  was  under  way  before  daybreak; 
she  stopt  at  Cahawba  till  ten  o'clock,  to  take  in  wood.  This 
place  has  its  name  from  a  small  river,  which  here  flows  into  the 
Alabama.  It  lies  upon  the  right  hand  bank  of  the  river,  here 
rather  high.  It  was  founded  about  five  years  ago,  and  it  is 
already  the  capital  of  the  state.  With  all  this  advantage,  it 
contains  only  three  hundred  inhabitants  of  all  sorts,  and  it  is  to 
be  feared  that  its  population  will  not  increase,  as  the  present  le 
gislature  of  Alabama,  has  resolved  to  change  the  seat  of  govern 
ment  to  Tuscaloosa. 

A  fatiguing  and  bad  road  goes  from  the  landing  to  this  village. 
It  has  two  very  broad  streets,  which  cut  each  other  at  right  an 
gles.  Only  four  or  five  houses  are  of  brick,  the  others  all  built 
of  wood;  they  stand  at  a  distance  from  one  another.  In  the 

VOL.  II.  5 


34 

streets  were  erected  two  very  plain  triumphal  arches,  in  ho 
nour  of  General  La  Fayette.  I  was  made  acquainted  with  Colo 
nel  Pickens,  friend  of  Colonel  Wool.  He  had  formerly  served 
in  the  army,  was  afterwards  governor  of  South  Carolina,  and  now 
a  planter  in  Alabama.  He  carried  us  to  the  state-house,  where 
the  legislature  was  in  session.*  He  introduced  me  to  Gover 
nor  Murphy,  in  whose  office  we  passed  half  an  hour,  in  con 
versing  very  pleasantty.  The  governor  gave  me  several  details 
concerning  the  state.  The  greater  part  of  it  had  been  bought 
from  the  Indians,  and  settled  within  ten  years.  It  was  first  re 
ceived  by  congress  as  a  state  of  the  union  in  the  year  1819.  All 
establishments  within  it,  are  of  course  very  new.  The  staple 
productions  are  Indian  corn  and  cotton,  which  are  shipped  to  Mo 
bile,  the  sea  port  of  the  state,  and  sold  there.  The  bales  of  cot 
ton  average  about  forty  dollars.  About  forty  miles  hence,  at  the 
confluence  of  the  Black  Warrior  and  the  Tombigbee  rivers,  lies  the 
town  of  Demopolis,  formerly  called  Eagleville.  It  was  located 
by  the  French,  who  had  come  back  from  the  much  promising 
Champ  d'Asyle.  This  place  attracted  my  curiosity  in  a  lively 
degree,  and  I  would  willingly  have  visited  it.  The  governor  and 
the  secretary  of  state,  however,  advised  me  strongly  against  this, 
as  there  was  nothing  at  all  there  worthy  of  observation.  They 
related  to  me  what  follows: 

Alabama,  as  a  territory,  was  under  the  especial  superinten 
dence  of  congress.  At  that  period  a  number  of  French  arrived 
from  the  perishing  Champ  d'jisyle  to  the  United  States.  At  the 
head  of  them  were  the  Generals  Lefebvre-Desnouettes,  Lalle- 
mand  and  Rigaud;  congress  allowed  these  Frenchmen  a  large 
tract  of  land  upon  a  very  long  credit,  almost  for  nothing,  under 
the  promise  that  they  would  endeavour  to  plant  the  vine  and 
olive  tree.  Both  attempts  miscarried,  either  through  the  neglect 
of  the  French,  or  that  the  land  was  too  rich  for  the  vine  and  the 
olive.  Some  of  these  Frenchmen  devoted  themselves  to  the  more 
profitable  cultivation  of  cotton;  the  most  of  them,  however,  dis 
posed  of  the  land  allotted  to  them  very  advantageously,  spread 
themselves  through  the  United  States,  and  sought  a  livelihood  in 
a  variety  of  ways.  Some  were  dancing  and  fencing  masters, 
some  fancy  shopkeepers,  and  others  in  Mobile  and  New  Orleans, 
even  croupiers  at  the  hazard  tables,  that  are  there  licensed.  Ge 
neral  Rigaud  betook  himself  at  the  time  of  the  Spanish  revolu 
tion  to  Spam,  there  to  contend  against  France,  and  may  now 
living  m  England;  General  Lefebvre-Desnouettes,  also  went 

^  *  i^lCO,Tmodation  is  here  so  difficult  to  procure,  that  the  senators  are  obliged 

nid  Z^rVJT?  °>le  mattress  laid  uP°n  the  floor  •'  theh>  food  consists>  *  is 
ud,  almost  without  exception  of  salted  pork. 


35 

back  to  Europe,  as  it  was  said  to  obtain  the  money  collected  in 
France  for  the  colony,  and  to  bring  out  settlers;  he  lost  his  life 
some  years  ago  in  the  shipwreck  of  the  Albion  packet,  on  the 
Irish  coast.  General  Lallemand  resorted  to  New  York,  where 
he  is  doing  well.  The  Frenchmen,  with  some  of  whom  I  after 
wards  conversed  in  New  Orleans,  insisted  that  they  had  received 
none  of  the  money  collected  for  them.  Eagleville,  since  called 
Demopolis,  has  only  one  store,  and  a  few  log  houses.  It  lies  in 
a  very  level  country,  and  at  the  most  only  five  Frenchmen,  whose 
names  I  could  not  obtain,  are  living  there  now,  the  remaining  in 
habitants  are  Americans. 

After  we  had  looked  about  the  two  streets  of  Cahawba,  we 
embarked  and  pursued  our  voyage.  At  our  going  on  board,  we 
remarked  that  Cahawba  was  a  depot  for  cotton,  which,  partly  in 
steam-boats,  and  partly  in  vessels  made  of  light  wood,  are  trans 
ported  down  the  river.  These  vessels  have  a  flat  bottom,  and 
are  built  in  the  form  of  a  parallelogram.  The  part  under  the 
water  is  pitched,  and  on  the  fore  and  back  narrower  ends,  are 
rudder  oars,  with  which  the  boats  are  steered.  The  vessels  are 
finished  in  a  very  rough  way;  they  are  broken  up  in  Mobile, 
and  the  timber  sold.  They  are  known  by  the  general  title  of 
flat  boats. 

Some  miles  below  Cahawba  we  stopped  on  the  right  bank,  near 
the  plantation  of  Mr.  Rutherford.  There  were  still  fifteen  bales 
of  cotton  to  be  taken  in.  While  this  was  doing,  we  went  on  shore 
to  take  a  walk,  where  the  bank  was  tolerably  high.  Mr.  Ruther 
ford's  plantation  has  been  about  six  years  in  cultivation.  The 
mansion-house  is  of  wood,  and  built  as  other  log  houses,  but  it  is 
handsomely  situated  among  live  oaks  and  pride  of  China  trees. 
The  entrance  is  shaded  by  a  rose-tree.  Around  were  handsome, 
high  and  uncommonly  thick  sycamores,  whose  trunks  appeared 
white,  elms,  gum  trees,  and  the  above  named  (live  oaks  and  Chi 
nas)  many  from  a  single  trunk,  also  cane,  that  was  at  least  twen 
ty  feet  high.  The  situation  of  the  plantation  was  unhealthy,  and 
Mr.  R.  a  Georgian  by  birth,  told  us  that  he  carried  his  family 
for  the  sake  of  health  to  the  north  every  summer.  We  saw  here 
several  hundred  paroquets  flying  round,  who  kept  up  a  great 
screaming.  Many  were  shot.  They  are  parrots,  but  of  a  larger 
species  than  the  common  kind,  clear  green  with  yellow  tips  to 
their  wings,  and  orange-coloured  heads,  flesh-coloured  bills,  and 
long  green  tails.  We  had  before  seen  on  the  bank  several  aston 
ishingly  numerous  flocks  of  black  birds.  The  banks  of  the  river 
are  here  and  there  one  hundred  feet  high,  they  are  composed  of 
steep  sandstone  rock,  from  which  springs  flow. 

By  the  accession  of  the  new  load  of  cotton  bales,  our  vessel 
became  too  heavily  laden.  She  acquired  a  balancing  motion, 


36 

like  a  ship  at  sea.  This  was  exceedingly  embarrassing  in  the  nu 
merous  bends  of  the  river,  and  to  avoid  the  danger  of  falling  back, 
it  was  necessary  to  stop  the  machinery  at  every  turn.  The  fine 
dry  weather  which  pleased  us  so  much,  was  the  cause  of  the  great 
fall  in  the  water  of  the  river.  The  change  from  high  to  low 
water  was  very  rapid.  In  the  spring,  as  I  was  assured,  the  river 
rose  sixty  feet  and  more,  and  inundated  the  high  land  near  it.  I 
could  not  doubt  the  fact;  for  I  saw  upon  the  rocky  banks  the 
traces  of  the  high  water.  About  dark  we  laid  by  on  the  right 
shore  to  take  in  wood.  We  remained  here  for  the  night,  and  I 
had  in  a  wretched  lair  an  equally  wretched  repose.  * 

On  the  7th  of  January,  at  six  in  the  morning,  our  vessel  was 
once  more  in  motion;  soon,  however,  she  stuck  fast  upon  the 
sand.  It  required  much  trouble  to  bring  her  off,  and  turn  her 
round;  the  task  Occupied  an  hour  and  a  half.  It  was  shortly  be 
fore  daybreak,  and  we  were  all  in  bed,  if  such  miserable  cribs  de 
served  the  name.  It  had  various  effects  upon  our  travelling  com 
panions.  Mr.  Huygens  rose  in  consternation  from  his  bed,  and 
made  a  great  disturbance.  Mr.  Bowdoin  called  to  his  servant, 
and  directed  him  to  inquire  what  had  happened.  He  was  very 
uneasy  when  we  told  him  that  we  might  lie  several  day,  perhaps 
weeks  here,  to  wait  for  rain,  and  the  consequent  rise  of  the  river. 
The  colonel  and  I,  who  had  acquired  by  our  long  experience,  a 
tolerable  portion  of  recklessness,  remained  in  our  cots,  and  left 
the  matter  to  Providence,  as  we  perceived  that  the  captain  would 
rather  disembark  his  cotton,  which  consumed  nothing,  than  to 
support  much  longer  a  number  of  passengers,  all  with  good  ap 
petites,  who  had  agreed  for  their  voyage  at  a  certain  price.  When 
we  were  again  afloat,  Mr.  Bowdoin  remarked  with  a  face  of 
great  wisdom,  that  he  had  foreseen  that  we  should  not  long  re 
main  aground,  as  he  had  not  felt  the  stroke  of  the  boat  on  the 
sand-bar. 

We  passed  the  whole  day  without  any  further  accident,  the 
weather  was  rather  dull  and  drizzling.  Nothing  interesting  oc 
curred  to  our  observation.  We  passed  by  two  steam-boats  that 
had  been  sunk  in  the  river,  of  which  the  last,  called  the  Cotton 
Plant,  went  down  only  a  month  since.  Both  struck  against  trees 
in  the  river,  and  sank  so  slowly,  that  all  the  passengers,  and  part 
of  the  cargo  were  saved.  They  were  so  deep  that  only  the  wheel- 
houses  raised  themselves  above  the  water.  From  these  boats  al 
ready  a  part  of  the  machinery  has  been  taken  out  piece-meal. 

In  the  afternoon  we  passed  a  little  place  called  Claiborne,  situated 

v  U"  thi13  part  °f  thc  country»  they  have  either  feather  beds  or  moss  mattresses; 
balls  f  arC  °ld>  thC  m°SS  Cl°tS  to£ether»  and  il  is  like  }y'm8  on  cannon- 


37 

on  an  eminence  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river.  Three  miles  be 
low,  we  stopped  about  sunset,  on  the  right  bank  for  wood.  The 
name  of  the  place  is  Wiggins's  Landing.  It  consists  of  two  log- 
houses  standing  upon  a  height,  among  old  tall  thin  oak  trees, 
which  was  settled  by  a  Mr.  Wiggins,  with  his  wife  and  children, 
a  short  time  before.  The  houses  had  a  very  picturesque  appear 
ance,  and  I  was  sorry  that  I  could  not  take  a  sketch  of  them.  Mr. 
W.  proposed  to  cut  down  the  wood  for  the  purpose  of  raising  cotton 
there.  It  was  a  pity  to  do  so  with  this  handsome  grove,  hand 
some,  although  injured  in  its  appearance  by  the  Spanish  moss 
which  hangs  from  the  trees.  Monsieur  Chateaubriand  compares 
the  trees  enveloped  in  this  moss  to  apparitions;  in  the  opinion 
of  Brackenridge,  they  resemble  ships  under  full  sail,  with  which 
the  air  plays  in  a  calm  at  sea.  I,  who  never  beheld  ghosts, 
nor  possessed  Mons.  Chateaubriand's  powers  of  imagination, 
though  I  had  seen  sails  tossing  in  the  wind,  compared  these  trees 
in  my  prosaic  mood,  to  tenter-hooks,  on  which  beggars  dry  their 
ragged  apparel  before  some  great  holy-day. 

We  were  in  hopes,  that  we  should  have  made  more  progress 
during  the  night,  but  the  captain  had  become  so  prudent,  and 
almost  anxious,  from  the  sight  of  the  two  sunken  steam-boats, 
that  he  determined  to  spend  the  night  at  Wiggins's  Landing.  For 
merly,  near  Claiborne,  there  was  a  stockade,  called  Fort  Clai- 
borne,  where  an  affair  took  place  with  the  Indians  in  the  last 
war.  This  place  is  named  in  honour  of  the  deceased  Mr.  Clai 
borne,  governor  of  the  former  Mississippi  Territory,  of  which 
the  present  state  of  Alabama  formed  a  part,  who  died  about  eight 
years  ago,  governor  of  the  state  of  Louisiana,  in  New  Orleans. 
He  had  taken  possession  of  Louisiana,  in  the  name  of  the  United 
States,  which  the  then  existing  French  Government  had  sold  to 
them.  Mr.  Claiborne  was  a  particular  favourite  and  countryman 
of  President  Jefferson.  He  had  by  his  voice  decided  the  presi 
dential  election  in  favour  of  Jefferson,  against  his  antagonist, 
Aaron  Burr,  for  which  Jefferson  was  gratefully  mindful  during 
his  whole  life. 

On  the  8th  of  January,  we  left  our  anchoring  ground  between 
six  and  seven  o'clock.  The  shores,  which  at  first  were  pretty 
high,  became  by  degrees  lower,  they  remained,  however,  woody, 
mostly  of  oak  wood  in  appearance,  hung  with  long  moss.  Under 
the  trees,  grew  very  thick,  and  uncommonly  handsome  cane, 
above  twenty  feet  high.  At  the  rise  of  the  river,  these  shores, 
often  covered  with  water,  are  on  this  account  little  inhabited. 
Taking  it  for  granted  that  the  population  of  Alabama  increases 
in  numbers,  and  the  higher  land  becomes  healthier  from  ex 
tirpation  of  the  forest,  without  doubt  dykes  will  be  made 
on  these  lower  banks,  to  guard  the  land  from  inundation,  and 


38 

make  it  susceptible  of  culture.  Here  and  there  rose  sand  banks 
out  of  the  water,  and  also  several  snags.  We  passed  the  place 
where  the  year  before,  a  steam-boat,  the  Henry  Clay,  was  sunk ; 
since  which  time,  however,  she  has  been  set  afloat  again.  It  is 
not  very  consolatory  to  the  traveller,  to  behold  places  and  remains 
of  such  occurrences,  particularly  when  they  find  themselves  on 
board  such  a  miserable  vessel  as  ours.  Several  steam-boats, 
which  at  present  navigate  the  Alabama,  formerly  ran  on  the 
Mississippi,  as  this  one  did;  they  were  judged  too  bad  for  that 
river,  and  were,  therefore,  brought  into  this  trade,  by  which 
their  possessors  realized  much  money.  We  saw  to-day  many 
wild  ducks  and  geese,  on  the  shores  also,  numbers  of  paroquets, 
which  make  a  great  noise;  in  the  river  there  were  alligators, 
which  are  smaller  than  the  Egyptian  crocodile.  One  of  these 
creatures  was  lying  on  the  shore  of  the  bank,  and  was  sunning 
itself,  yet  too  far  from  us,  and  our  boat  went  too  fast,  to  permit 
of  my  seeing  it  distinctly,  or  of  shooting  at  it.  In  the  afternoon 
we  saw  several  small  rivers,  which  flowed  into  the  Alabama,  or 
ran  out  of  it,  forming  stagnant  arms,  which  are  here  called 
bayous.  The  river  itself  takes  extraordinary  turns,  and  shapes 
out  a  variety  of  islands.  We  afterwards  reached  the  confluence 
of  the  rivers  Alabama  .and  Tombigbee,  where  there  is  an  island, 
and  the  country  appears  extremely  well.  Both  rivers  united, 
take  the  name  of  Mobile  river. 

About  three  miles  below  this  junction,  several  wooden  houses 
formed  a  group  on  the  right  bank.  Formerly,  there  was  a 
stockade  here,  Fort  Stoddart,  from  which  this  collection  of  houses 
has  its  name.  Here  is  the  line  which  forms  the  thirty-first  de 
gree  of  latitude,  once  the  boundary  between  the  United  States 
and  the  Spanish  possessions.  The  Mobile  river  still  increased 
in  breadth,  and  as  the  night  commenced,  seemed  about  half  a 
mile  wide.  The  weather  was  very  dark  and  cloudy,  the  pilot 
could  not  distinguish  his  course,  and  although  we  approached 
close  to  the  city,  we  could  proceed  no  farther,  without  exposing 
ourselves  to  danger. 

Early  on  the  9th  of  January  it  was  extremely  foggy.  On 
this  account  a  boat  was  sent  out  to  reconnoitre.  The  fog  after 
some  time  cleared  away  a  little,  and  we  found  ourselves  so  near 
the  wharves  that  we  immediately  touched  one  of  the  piers,  and 
landed  about  half  past  eight.  We  had  travelled  four  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  from  Montgomery.  The  journey  by  land 
amounts  only  to  two  hundred  and  fifty-eight  miles,  and  yet  is 

Mom  performed,  on  account  of  the  want  of  good  roads  and  ac- 

:>mmodation.     Being  arrived  at  Mobile  and  extremely  glad  at 

laving  left  our  wretched  steam-boat,  in  which  we  had  enjoyed 

comfort,  we  took  up  our  residence   in    Smooth's  Hotel,  a 


39 

wooden  building,  the  bar-room  of  which  is  at  the  same  time  the 
post-office,  and  therefore  somewhat  lively. 

Mobile,  an  ancient  Spanish  town,  yet  still  earlier  occupied  by 
the  French,  was  ceded  with  Louisiana,  in  1803,  to  the  United 
States.  The  few  respectable  Creole  families,  who  had  former 
ly  dwelt  here,  left  the  place  at  the  cession,  and  withdrew  to  the 
island  of  Cuba,  and  none  but  those  of  the  lower  classes  remain 
ed  behind.  A  new  population  was  formed  of  the  North  Ame 
ricans,  who  came  here  to  make  money.  From  this  cause,  the 
French  as  well  as  the  Spanish  language  remains  only  among  the 
lower  classes;  the  better  society  is  thoroughly  American.  Mo 
bile  contains  five  thousand  inhabitants,  of  both  complexions,  of 
which  about  one  thousand  may  be  blacks.  The  town  lies  on 
the  right  bank  of  the  Florida  river,  where  it  is  divided  into  se 
veral  arms,  and  has  formed  Mobile  bay,  which,  thirty  miles  be 
low,  joins  the  Mexican  gulf.  It  is  regularly  built,  the  streets 
are  at  right  angles,  part  of  them  parallel  with  the  river,  the  rest 
perpendicular  to  it.  Along  the  shore  is  a  wooden  quay,  and 
wooden  piers  or  landing  bridges  project  into  the  water,  for  the 
convenience  of  vessels.  There  are  lying  here  about  thirty 
ships,  of  which  several  are  of  four  hundred  tons,  to  be  loaded 
with  cotton.  The  most  of  them  are  from  New  York.  When 
the  ebb  tide  draws  off  the  water,  a  quantity  of  filth  remains  un 
covered  on  the  shore,  and  poisons  the  atmosphere.  This  circum 
stance  may  contribute  its  agency  to  the  unhealthiness  of  the  place 
in  summer.  The  shore  opposite  the  harbour  is  marshy  and  full 
of  cane.  The  town  lies  upon  a  poor  sandy  soil;  the  streets  are  not 
paved,  and  unpleasant  from  the  depth  of  the  sand.  On  both  sides 
of  the  streets  there  are  paths  made  of  strong  plank,  which  divide 
the  walk  from  the  cartway  of  the  street,  which  will  be  converted 
into  pavements  when  brick  or  stone  shall  have  become  cheaper. 

The  generality  of  the  houses  are  of  wood,  covered  with  shin 
gles,  and  have  piazzas.  Some  new  houses  only,  are  built  of 
brick.  This  article  must  be  imported,  and  is  not  to  be  procured 
in  large  quantities  of  any  quality.  As  an  example  of  this,  I  saw 
a  house  finished,  of  which  the  two  first  stories  were  of  red  brick, 
and  the  third  of  yellow.  There  are  also  here  some  Spanish 
houses  which  consist  of  timber  frames,  of  which  the  open  spaces 
are  filled  up  with  beaten  clay,  like  those  of  the  German  peasan 
try.  Besides  several  private  houses,  most  of  the  public  build 
ings  are  of  brick.  These  are,  a  theatre,  which,  besides  the  pit, 
has  a  row  of  boxes  and  a  gallery,  the  bank,  the  court  of  the 
United  States,  the  county  court-house,  the  building  of  which 
was  in  progress,  and  the  prison.  Near  this  prison  stood  the 
public  whippingpost  for  negroes.  It  was  constructed  like  a  sash 
frame.  The  lower  board  on  which  the  feet  of  the  unfortunate 


40 

being  were  to  stand,  could  be  pushed  up  or  down,  to  accommo 
date  the  height  of  the  individual.  Upon  it  is  a  block,  through 
which  the  legs  are  passed.  The  neck  and  arms  are  passed  through 
another. 

The  Catholic  church  here  is  in  a  very  miserable  situation.  I 
went  into  it,  just  at  the  time  the  church  seats  were  publicly  rent 
ed  for  the  year  to  the  highest  bidders ;  two  in  my  presence  were 
disposed  of  for  nineteen  dollars  a  piece.  The  church  within 
resembles  a  barn,  it  had  a  high  altar  with  vessels  of  tin,  and  a 
picture  of  no  value,  also  two  little  side  altars. 

A  large  cotton  warehouse,  of  all  the  buildings  in  Mobile,  most 
excited  my  attention.  This  consists  of  a  square  yard,  surround 
ed  on  three  sides  by  massive  arcades,  where  the  cotton  bales 
coming  from  the  country  are  brought  in,  and  preparatory  to 
their  shipment  are  again  pressed,  that  they  may  occupy  as  little 
room  as  possible  in  the  vessel.  The  bales  were  arranged  on  a 
layer  of  thick  plank,  between  which  there  is  room  allowed  to 
pass  the  ropes  through.  Above  the  bales,  which  are  placed  be 
tween  four  strong  iron  vices,  is  a  coyer,  in  which  there  is  room 
left  for  the  ropes  as  below.  These  covers  have  four  apertures, 
with  female  screws,  through  which  the  vices  pass.  On  every 
screw  there  is  a  face  wheel.  All  these  four  face  wheels  are 
driven  by  a  crown  wheel,  which  is  put  in  motion  by  a  horse. 
The  covers  are  thus  screwed  down  on  the  bales,  and  their  bulk 
reduced  one-third.  During  the  pressure,  the  negro  labourers 
have  drawn  the  ropes  through  the  groves  between  the  planks, 
and  fastened  the  bales  with  little  difficulty.  This  warehouse  or 
magazine  has  two  such  presses.  It  occupies  three  sides  of  the 
yard,  the  fourth  contains  a  handsome  dwelling  house.  The  whole 
is  built  of  brick,  and  has  an  iron  verandah.  It  belongs  to  specu 
lators  in  New  Orleans,  and  is  known  by  the  name  of  the  "  fire 
proof  magazine,"  although  the  interior  is  of  wood. 

The  weather  was  very  fine,  and  as  warm  as  we  have  it  in  sum 
mer:  I  felt  it  very  much  in  walking,  and  most  of  the  doors  and 
windows  in  the  houses  stood  open.  On  this  account  I  seated 
myself  in  the  piazza  before  the  house.  A  number  of  Choctaw 
Indians,  who  led  a  wandering  life  in  the  woods  around  the  town, 
went  about  the  streets  selling  wood,  which  they  carried  in  small 
billets,  bound  on  their  backs.  They  are  of  a  darker  colour,  and, 
if  possible,  still  dirtier  than  the  Creeks,  they  wrap  themselves 
also  in  blankets,  and  most  of  them  wore  round  hats  trimmed  with 
tin  rings  and  pieces  of  tin.  I  walked  through  the  streets  of  the 
place,  which  contains  several  large  stores,  to  all  appearance  well 
stocked.  In  these  excursions  I  found  an  old  Brunswicker,  named 
Thomas,  who  kept  a  grog-shop  here,  and  who  showed  me  a  young 
alligator,  an  ugly  animal,  at  most  three  months  old.  It  was 


41 

about  eight  inches  long,  and  was  preserved  in  a  tub  of  water,  in 
which  it  was  daily  supplied  with  fresh  grass.  When  it  was  taken 
out  of  the  water  and  placed  on  the  sand,  it  ran  about  with  much 
alacrity.  Its  head  was  disproportionately  large,  and  it  had  already 
double  rows  of  sharp  teeth. 

In  the  afternoon  we  saw  a  volunteer  company,  of  about  twenty 
and  upwards  strong,  pretty  well  equipped,  turn  out  to  celebrate 
the  anniversary  of  the  battle  of  New  Orleans,  the  eighth  of  Ja 
nuary,  1815.  On  the  preceding  day,  being  Sunday,  this  festi 
val  was  not  commemorated.  They  had  erected  a  platform  on  an 
open  spot  of  ground,  and  brought  there  three  old  iron  pieces, 
with  which  a  national  salute  of  twenty -four  guns  was  fired.  Colo 
nel  Wool  had  many  acquaintances  and  countrymen  here,  from 
the  north,  to  whom  he  introduced  me.  Conversation,  therefore, 
did  not  fail  us,  though  many  comforts  of  life  are  withheld  for  a 
period.  Thus,  for  example,  I  was  deprived  of  milk  so  long  as 
I  was  in  the  Indian  territory,  as  the  cattle  were  driven  into  the 
woods  during  the  winter,  to  suoport  themselves. 

I  made  an  attempt  to  pass  round  the  town,  but  was  prevented 
on  one  side  by  woods,  and  on  the  other,  by  ditches  and  marshes, 
so  that  I  found  myself  limited  in  my  promenade  to  the  streets. 
These,  however,  I  measured  to  my  heart's  content.  There 
was  nothing  new  to  me  but  some  fruit  shops,  in  which  were  ex 
cellent  oranges  from  Cuba,  at  six  cents  a  piece,  large  pine  apples, 
much  larger  than  the  finest  I  had  seen  in  England,  also  from 
Cuba,  at  forty-two  and  three-quarter  cents  a  piece,  thus  much 
dearer  than  in  Charleston,  where  they  cost  but  twelve  and  a  half 
cents  a  piece,  besides  bananas  and  cocoa  nuts  in  abundance. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Travels  to  Pensacola. 

COLONEL  WOOL  was  obliged  to  go  to  Pensacola,  in  pur 
suance  of  his  duty  of  inspection.  I  determined  to  accompany 
him  with  Mr.  Huygens,  as  Pensacola  was  interesting  to  me  as  a 
military  man.  Mr.  Bowdoin  felt  himself  unwell,  and  was  tired 
of  travelling.  He  remained,  therefore,  in  Mobile,  with  the  in 
tention  of  going  to  New  Orleans  by  the  first  opportunity. 

On  the  10th  of  January,  we  left  Mobile  in  the  steam-boat 
Emeline.  This  vessel  goes  daily  from  Blakely,  which  lies  on 
the  left  shore  of  the  bay,  to  Mobile,  and  back  again.  The 

VOL.  II.  6 


42 

distance  amounts,  in  a  straight  line,  to  about  twelve  miles; 
some  marshy  islands  covered  with  cane  and  shallows,  lengthen 
the  passage  to  fourteen  miles.  The  Emelinc,  Captain  Fow 
ler,  is  the  smallest  steam-boat  that  I  ever  saw.  She  is  only  of 
thirty-two  tons  burthen,  is  built  of  planks,  which  are  laid  over 
each  other  without,  ribs,  like  a  skiff,  and  the  engine,  a  low  pressure, 
has  only  eight  horse-power.  The  boat  belongs  to  the  captain, 
and,  with  its  engine,  was  constructed  in  New  York.  When  it 
left  that  city  to  sail  for  Mobile,  no  insurance  company  would  un 
dertake  to  underwrite  it,  and  Mr.  Fowler  was  compelled  to  come 
on  his  individual  risk.  His  capital  embarked  in  it,  will,  never 
theless,  produce  a  very  good  profit.  Yet  the  smallest  steam-boats 
which  navigate  the  Florida  and  Alabama  rivers,  are  insured. 
Some  are  too  old  and  rotten  for  any  company  to  insure,  es 
pecially  as  the  navigation  on  these  rivers  is  so  dangerous,  that 
the  few  good  vessels  must  give  one  per  cent,  monthly,  as  a  pre 
mium. 

From  the  water  side,  Mobile,, with  its  ships  in  harbour,  has 
a  pretty  appearance.  We  had  also  a  handsome  view  of  Mo 
bile  Bay,  in  which  we  counted  nine  ships  of  varioas  sizes  stretch 
ing  in.  A  number  of  wild  ducks  flew  about  among  the  islands. 
In  two  hours  we  crossed  the  bay,  and  landed  at  five  o'clock  in 
the  evening  at  Blakely. 

This  place  has  a  very  good  situation,  on  rather  an  elevated 
bank,  in  a  grove  nearly  composed  of  live  oaks,  of  which  some 
arc  full  twenty  feet  in  circumference.  A  bushy  kind  of  palm 
tree  grows  here  which  is  called  Spanish  bayonet,  which  appears 
to  partake  of  the  nature  of  the  macaw  trees.  Blakely  was  found 
ed  in  the  year  1816,  by  a  Mr.  Blakely,  dead  about  five  years 
since,  and  then  sold  to  various  speculators.  This  place  was  es 
tablished  to  injure  Mobile,  and  to  draw  the  commerce  of  that 
place  away  from  it.  The  design  has,  however,  failed  of  success. 
Mobile  is  superior  in  capital,  and  Blakely  has  injured  itself  alone. 
Upon  the  shore  stand  two  large  wooden  buildings  in  ruins,  the 
smallest  part  of  them  only  is  rented,  and  used  as  stores.  On  the 
eminence  behind  these  buildings  arc  placed  about  twenty  wooden 
houses,  of  which  the  largest  is  the  only  tavern,  and  it  is  really 
a  respectable  one.  We  took  our  lodging  there.  The  houses  are 
very  neatly  built,  with  projecting  roofs  and  piazzas,  and  surrounded 
with  gardens.  Some,  however,  are  deserted,  and  exhibit  the  de 
cay  of  the  place.  A  large  wooden  edifice  two  stories  high,  pro 
vided  with  a  cupola,  was  originally  intended  for  an  academy; 
from  the  want  of  scholars,  this  academy  has  never  been  in  opera- 
ii»n,  the  building  therefore  is  used  as  a  place  of  worship,  and  as 
a  court-house.  The  number  of  inhabitants  cannot  exceed  two 
hundred. 


43 

During  our  ramble  it  had  become  dark;  the  moon  was  in  her 
first  quarter.  The  air  was  as  warm  as  in  a  fine  May  evening  in 
Germany.  All  was  pleasant  and  cheerful,  and  only  our  recollection 
that  this  handsome  country  was  poisonous  in  summer,  produced 
a  discord  with  the  scene.  In  the  evening  I  sat  and  wrote  in  one 
of  the  rooms  of  the  tavern  with  open  doors  and  windows,  and 
heard  the  sparrow  chirp  as  if  it  were  summer.  I  had  noticed 
very  few  sweet  orange  trees  in  this  part  of  the  country,  and  the 
few  which  I  saw  were  small  and  young.  As  I  manifested  my 
surprise,  the  reason  was  given,  that  the  numerous  orange  trees 
which  formerly  were  here,  had  been  all  killed  in  the  winter  of 
1821-22,  by  a  four  day's  frost. 

Before  we  commenced  our  journey  the  next  morning,  I  found 
in  the  earth  several  pieces  of  petrified  live  oak.  The  mineral 
riches  of  this  district  are  not  yet  explored.  I  imagine,  that  a  mi 
neralogist,  who  should  here  prosecutPhis  researches,  might  reap 
a  rich  harvest. 

We  hired  a  two-horse  barouche,  which  was  to  carry  us  to  Pcn- 
sacola,  sixty-five  miles  distant  from  Blakely.  In  this,  we  de 
parted  about  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  well  stocked  with  plenty 
of  provision,  which,  in  this  country,  so  destitute  of  inns,  was  con 
sidered  as  a  necessary  supply.  Close  to  Blakely  we  ascended  a 
hill,  which  afforded  us  a  very  beautiful  view  of  the  town,  the  bay 
of  Mobile,  and  of  a  valley  watered  by  a  stream,  with  the  richest 
prospect  of  vegetation  I  ever  beheld.  The  grove  before  us  was 
full  of  magnolias  of  all  sizes,  of  laurels,  and  an  evergreen  bush 
that  was  called  the  water  oak;  and  among  them  all,  the  most 
splendid  live  oaks.  Unfortunately  this  lovely  country  did  not 
reach  very  far.  Scarcely  a  short  mile  from  Blakely,  the  good  soil 
ceased,  and  the  wearisome  sand  and  long-leaved  pines  began  once 
more.  We  advanced  but  thirty  miles  during  the  day;  a  delicious 
warm  state  of  the  weather,  however,  cheered  us.  At  first  we 
found  several  plantations  which  the  inhabitants  of  Blakely,  in 
somewhat  easy  circumstances,  resorted  to  during  the  summer, 
when  the  yellow  fever  occupied  that  place.  On  some  of  these 
plantations,  the  dry  rice,  (so  called  from  the  fields  which  pro 
duce  it  lying  so  high  that  they  cannot  be  overflowed,)  is  culti 
vated.  This  rice  is  little  inferior  to  the  swamp  rice  of  South 
Carolina,  and  will  yield  fifty  bushels  to  the  acre.  I  regaled  my 
self  with  the  melody  of  several  birds,  of  which  most  were  ro 
bins,  birds  of  passage,  which  live  through  the  winter  in  these 
southern  countries,  and  in  the  spring,  approach  the  north,  there 
to  announce  it.  I  saw  also  several  cranes.  To  complete  the  il 
lusion,  that  it  was  summer,  a  number  of  frogs  lent  their  aid,  and 
croaked  loudly  from  the  marshes. 


44 

We  halted  at  noon,  in  a  shady  place,  near  a  clear  brook,  and 
dispatched  a  part  of  our  provisions,  seated  on  a  dry  green  turf. 
For  the  first  time  in  my  life,  a  shade  in  January  was  a  desirable 
object.  The  night  overtook  us  before  we  reached  our  lodgings 
for  the  night,  which  we  intended  to  take  up  at  a  place  called 
Belle  Fontaine.  The  road  was  hardly  discernible,  for  it  was 
so  little  travelled,  that  grass  grew  in  the  tracks,  and  the 
stumps  of  trees  were  as  difficult  to  avoid,  as  they  were  frequent. 
We  risked  oversetting  more  than  once.  To  avoid  such  an  acci 
dent,  we  determined  to  proceed  on  foot.  We  took  in  this  way, 
a  walk  of  at  least  six  miles,  in  an  unbroken  pine  forest,  inhabited 
by  bears,  wolves,  and  even  panthers.  At  first  we  had  the  light 
of  the  moon  ;  about  nine  o'clock  it  went  down,  and  we  had  con 
siderable  difficulty  to  keep  the  road.  As  the  dwellings  were 
scattering  from  each  other* we  imitated  the  barking  of  dogs,  to 
give  them  an  opportuni^  to  answer  in  the  same  language. 
This  succeeded ;  we  heard  dogs  bark,  moved  in  the  direction 
whence  the  sound  came,  and  reached  about  ten  o'clock,  the  de 
sired  Belle  Fontaine,  a  log  house  with  two  rooms,  or  cabins,  and 
a  cleared  opening  before  it.  A  man  of  rather  unpromising  ap 
pearance,  the  landlord,  Mr.  Pollard,  admitted  us,  and  took  charge 
of  our  horses.  His  wife,  a  pale,  sickly  looking  being,  who 
hardly  returned  an  answer  to  our  questions,  was  obliged  to  rise 
from  her  bed,  to  prepare  us  a  supper  and  sleeping-room. 
The  whole  establishment  had  at  first,  the  look  of  a  harbour  for 
robbers,  but  there  was  well  roasted  venison  prepared  for  us,  on 
a  neat  table,  and  tolerable  coffee,  for  which  we  had,  luckily, 
brought  sugar  along  with  us.  It  was  really  comfortable,  though 
our  chamber  remained  open  the  whole  night,  as  there  was  no 
door,  and  only  two  beds  were  furnished. 

The  12th  of  January  we  left  our  quarters  at  seven  in  the 
morning,  and  travelled  thirty-two  miles  to  Pensacola.  Twelve 
miles  from  Belle  Fontaine  brought  us  to  a  stand  at  the  Perdido, 
where  we  breakfasted  at  a  plantation,  situated  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  river.  This  stream  forms  the  boundary  between 
Alabama  and  the  territory  of  Florida,  which  does  not  yet  con 
tain  inhabitants  sufficient  to  entitle  it  to  a  reception  among  the 
states  oi  the  Union.  The  river  is  small,  its  banks  sandy,  and 
we  crossed  it  in  a  poor  ferry-boat.  On  the  banks,  as  generally 
through  the  whole  of  that  district,  I  saw  many  bushy  palms, 
here  called  palmattoes.  The  soil  on  the  whole,  was  as  bad  as 
that  we  saw  yesterday,  the  growth  was  pine;  there  is  fresh 
vegetation  only  about  the  springs.  The  air  grew  still  warmer, 
we  saw  a  few  butterflies.  As  we  approached  Pensacc  la,  the  pines 
ceased,  and  we  moved  through  dwarf  oaks.  The  soil  was  a  deep 
sand  ;  we  passed  by  a  marsh  full  of  water  oaks 


45 

Pensacola,  which  we  reached  about  five  o'clock,  lies  upon  a 
hay  of  the  ocean.  It  is  an  ancient  Spanish  town,  and  was  sur 
rendered  by  Spain  with  all  Florida,  to  the  United  States  in  1821. 
It  contains  about  one  thousand  inhabitants.  We  lodged  ourselves 
in  Collins's  Hotel,  and  went,  immediately  on  our  arrival,  to  walk 
about  the  town.  It  is  the  most  miserable  place  that  I  have  be 
held  since  I  crossed  the  Atlantic.  Such  Spaniards  as  possessed 
any  property  have  left  this  place,  when  it  was  ceded  to  the  United 
States,  and  have  moved  off  either  to  New  Orleans,  or  the  island 
of  Cuba.  Only  the  poorest  of  them  have  remained.  Since  that 
time,  the  Americans  settled  here,  have,  as  at  Mobile,  created  a 
new  population.  The  deepest  sand  covers  the  unpaved  streets, 
which  are  broad,  and  regularly  laid  out.  Only  a  few  new  houses 
are  of  brick,  they  are  mostly  of  wood,  and  stand  at  a  considerable 
distance  from  each  other.  There  isjM>t  a  single  ship  in  the  port. 
A  new  market-house  of  brick  is  buiflBng  upon  the  shore,  and  not 
far  from  it  stands  the  wooden  catholic  church,  the  outside  of 
which  appears  in  a  forlorn  condition.  Near  the  church  are  the 
ruins  of  an  old  English  barrack,  which  was  burnt  about  four 
years  ago ;  its  two  wings  were  covered  by  two  block  houses  of 
logs,  which  are  standing,  one  of  which  serves  for  a  custom-house. 
About  the  town  several  block  houses  have  stood,  which  formerly 
afforded  a  good  protection  against  the  Seminole  Indians,  the 
original  inhabitants  of  this  section  of  country. 

In  the  evening  of  this  day,  and  on  the  next  morning  we  receiv 
ed  visits  from  several  officers,  from  Colonel  Clinch,  commandant 
of  the  4th  regiment  of  infantry,  who  was  posted  here  with  Major 
Wright  and  others.  Captain  Campbell  of  the  Marine  Corps,  who 
had  the  command  of  the  new  navy-yard,  that  was  to  be  estab 
lished  here:  some  supplies  had  arrived,  and  were  put  in  store  at 
Fort  Barrancas.  As  we  wished  to  see  this  fort,  the  gentlemen 
were  so  polite  as  to  accommodate  us  with  their  boats. 

I  went  with  Colonel  Wool  in  Captain  Campbell's  boat.  We  had 
a  favourable  wind,  and  spreading  two  sails  we  reached  fort  Barran 
cas,  nine  miles  by  sea  from  Pensacola,  in  an  hour.  On  the  way 
we  saw  a  flock  of  sixteen  pelicans.  On  account  of  the  point  of 
land  stretching  into  the  bay,  we  had  to  make  a  circuit;  it  was 
called  Tartar  point,  and  the  new  navy-yard  is  to  be  upon  it.  It 
is  thought  that  it  will  be  commenced  in  two  months.  The  coun 
try  about  Pensacola  and  the  shores  of  the  bay  are  the  most  disa 
greeable  that  can  be  conceived  of;  nothing  but  sand  heaps  daz- 
zling-white  like  snow.  In  the  bay  lies  a  level  island,  St.  Rosa, 
with  a  growth  of  dwarf  oaks.  On  it  had  been  erected  a  fort, 
which  was  blown  up  by  the  English,  when  they  occupied  Pen 
sacola  in  the  year  1814,  to  support  the  Creek  Indians  then  at 
war  with  the  United  States,  and  were  compelled  to  evacuate  it 


46 

by  General  Jackson.  The  English  blew  up  also  a  part  of  Fort 
Barrancas  at  the  same  time,  but  the  Spaniards  have  reinstated  it, 
although  on  a  smaller  scale ;  thus  it  remains  at  present. 

The  cannon  are  of  brass,  English  and  Spanish.  Among  the 
latter  I  observed  two  very  fine  twenty-four  pounders,  cast  in 
Seville.  Nothing  can  be  more  unhandy  than  the  Spanish  gun- 
carriages,  they  have  wheels,  which  at  the  outside  measure  four 
feet  in  diameter. 

In  the  gorge  of  the  works,  there  is  a  large  bomb-proof  casemate, 
and  in  the  yard  a  furnace  for  red-hot  shot.  The  whole  of  the 
work  is  built  of  sand,  therefore  the  wall  outside,  and  the  parapet 
inside,  are  covered  with  upright  planks,  and  the  cheeks  of  the 
embrazures  in  the  same  manner.  The  Spanish  cannon,  also 
mounted  on  the  clumsiest  carriages,  are  placed  in  battery.  The 
forl  was  temporarily  given  w  to  the  marines,  who  employed  the 
casemates  and  block  housesRbr  magazines,  till  the  requisite  pre 
parations  could  be  made  in  the  navy-yard.  At  that  period,  the 
fort  will  be  dismantled,  and  in  its  place  a  respectable  fortress 
will  be  erected  to  defend  this  important  point. 

It  is  of  the  highest  consequence  to  the  United  States,  to  have 
an  extensive  maritime  and  military  position  on  the  Mexican 
gulf,  on  account  of  the  increasing  power  of  the  new  South  Ame 
rican  Republics.  Nevertheless,  Pensacola  can  only  be  of  se 
condary  ability  to  fill  such  a  station,  since  the  sand  bank  lying 
in  the  mouth  of  the  bay,  has  only  twenty-two  feet  upon  it  at 
high  water;  and  necessarily,  is  too  shallow  for  ships  of  the  line, 
or  even  American  frigates  of  the  first  class.  Besides,  upon  the 
whole  coajst  of  'the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  there  is  but  one  single  bay, 
(and  this  is  situated  southward  of  La  Vera  Cruz,)  in  which  armed 
ships  of  the  line  can  pass  in  and  out.  The  pieces  of  ordnance 
placed  upon  the  walls,  as  well  as  some  forty  lying  upon  the  beach, 
half  covered  with  sand,  of  old  Spanish  and  English  cannon,  are, 
as  is  said,  perfectly  unserviceable. 

Outside  of  the  fort,  about  two  hundred  paces  distant  from  it, 
along  the  sea-coast,  stands  a  light  house  built  of  brick,  about 
eighty  feet  high,  in  which  twenty  lamps  in  divisions  of  five, 
constantly  turn  upon  an  axis  in  a  horizontal  movement  during 
the  night  They  are  set  in  motion  by  clock-work,  and  were  pre 
pared  in  Roxbury,  near  Boston.  I  saw  the  model  in  the  patent 
office  at  Washington.  The  lamps  are  all  furnished  with  plated 
reflectors,  and  are  fed  with  spermaceti  oil.  The  land  about  the 
fort  is  for  the  most  part  sandy,  and  produces  only  pines  natural 
ly,  these  however  have  been  rooted  out,  and  dwarf  oaks  and 
palmettoes  have  since  sprouted  out. 

I  have  mentioned  General  Jackson  above,  and  surmised  that 
he  had  driven  the  English  out  of  Pensacola.  I  add  to  this  re- 


47 

mark  the  following:  the  Seminoles,  as  it  is  asserted,  manifestly 
stirred  up  by  the  English,  without  the  least  provocation,  com 
menced  a  war  against  the  United  States,  in  the  year  1818.  Ge 
neral  Jackson  defeated  them,  and  directed  the  two  Englishmen, 
Arbuthnot  and  Ambrister,  who  had  sold  weapons  and  ammuni 
tion  to  the  Indians,  as  well  as  stimulated  them  to  war  against 
the  United  States,  to  be  hanged.  After  this,  he  attacked  Pensa- 
cola  and  the  Barrancas,  where  the  Indians  were  sheltered  and  pro 
tected  by  the  Spanish  authorities.  The  town  of  Pensacola  was 
poorly  fortified  and  soon  mastered.  General  Jackson  then  open 
ed  a  cannonade  of  two  pieces  of  artillery  on  Fort  Barrancas.  The 
Spanish  governor  hid  himself  under  the  steps  of  the  coast  battery, 
and  surrendered  the  fort,  since  by  the  agreeing  statement  of  two 
captains,  the  garrison  refused  to  fight,  (consisting  of  three  com 
panies  of  the  Spanish  regiment  of  Louisiana,)  because  they  had 
received  their  pay  for  some  time.  "Audacious  fortuna  juvat!" 

On  the  14th  of  January  I  took  a  walk  in  front  of  the  town  to 
view  the  former  fortifications  of  this  place.  These  works  owe 
their  foundation  to  the  English.  England,  indeed  avowedly  pos 
sessed  this  country,  West  Florida,  from  1763  to  1783;  at  the 
treaty  of  Versailles,  it  was  fully  given  up  to  Spain,  after  it  had 
been  conquered  by  Don  Galvez,  then  governor  of  Louisiana,  who 
afterwards  was  Viceroy  of  Mexico.  The  best  defence  of  Pensa 
cola  consists  in  the  marshes  which  surround  it.  Beyond  the 
marshes  lie  undistinguishable  sand  hillocks,  which  were  occupied 
by  forts.  A  thousand  paces  in  front  of  the  town,  to  the  left  of 
the  road  leading  to  Mobile,  lies  a  fort. 

The  form  of  this  fort,  I  made  out  from  the  remains  grown  over 
with  bushes.  Behind  it  was  open,  and  there  are  still  the  ruins  of 
a  bomb-proof  powder  magazine,  built  of  brick,  which  the  English 
blew  up  in  1814.  It  appeared  partly  covered  with  timber. 
A  thousand  paces  farther  to  the  left,  are  the  ruins  of  another 
somewhat  larger  fort,  upon  another  small  eminence  so  disposed 
as  to  command  the  interior  of  the  first.  It  appears  to  have  been 
calculated  for  from  four  to  five  hundred  men,  while  the  first 
could  only  shelter  two  hundred.  The  ramparts  of  both  are  com 
posed  merely  of  sand,  and  the  high  bushes  of  various  species, 
which  flourish  to  a  remarkable  degree  on  the  ruins,  exhibit  the 
productive  force  of  the  climate.  The  soil  around  the  forts,  also 
consisting  of  sand  only,  yields  palmettoes  and  dwarf  oaks.  I  had 
remarked  the  same  soil  upon  the  land  side  of  Fort  Barrancas,  and 
besides  cactus,  some  of  which  grew  in  a  screw-like  form  through 
the  bricks,  many  of  them  in  the  driest  sand.  In  1782,  a  hand 
ful  of  Waldeckers,  then  in  English  pay,  defended  these  works 
against  fifteen  thousand  Spaniards,  and  in  the  absence  of  an  Eng- 


48 

lish  engineer,   the  captain  there,   and  the  presdnt  Lieutenant- 
General  Heldring,  of  the  Netherlands,  discharged  that  duty. 

Colonel  Walton,  secretary  of  state  of  Florida,  who  had  just 
returned  in  a  vessel  from  Talahasse,  told  me  so  much  of  the  beau 
tiful  situation,  and  delicious  country  about  that  town,  only  laid 
out  within  a  year,  as  well  as  of  the  interior  of  Florida,  with  its 
rising  and  falling  springs  and  lakes,  the  discharge  of  which  no 
one  was  acquainted  with,  that  I  was  sorry  I  could  not  visit  that 
place,  to  which  the  fourth  regiment  had  marked  out  a  road. 
Thirty  miles  from  Talahasse,  Prince  Achille  Murat,  in  company 
with  the  former  colonel,  now  Mr.  Gadsden,  purchased  much  land, 
on  which  he  will  cultivate  maize,  cotton  and  sugar.  M.  Murat 
must  be  a  young  man  of  great  spirit.  It  is,  however,  charged 
against  him,  that  he  has  addicted  himself  to  a  low  familiar  be 
haviour,  in  which  he  appears  to  wish  to  excel;  that  he  chews  to 
bacco  constantly,  &c. 

I  paid  a  visit  to  the  catholic  clergyman  of  this  place,  Abbe 
Mainhout,  a  native  of  Waerschot,  in  East  Flanders.  The  Abbe 
came  in  1817,  with  the  bishop  of  Louisiana,  Mr.  Dubourg,  as  a 
missionary  to  the  United  States.  This  excellent  man  does  very 
little  credit  to  the  climate,  he  is  now  just  recovering  from  a  se 
vere  fit  of  sickness.  He  is  universally  esteemed  and  loved  on 
account  of  his  exemplary  conduct  and  learning:  and  as  he  is 
the  only  clergyman  in  the  place,  the  inhabitants  of  whatever  per 
suasion  they  may  be,  resort  to  his  church.  He  was  pleased  with 
my  visit,  particularly,  as  I  brought  him  news  from  his  native 
land. 

Colonel  Clinch  sent  us  his  carriage,  to  carry  us  to  the  quarters, 
where  Colonel  Wool  was  to  hold  his  inspection.  Since  the  Eng 
lish  barracks  have  been  burnt,  the  troops  have  been  stationed 
out  of  town  in  preference,  from  apprehension  of  the  yellow 
fever.  There  is  a  large  wooden  barracks  built  in  a  healthy 
situation,  on  an  eminence  two  miles  from  town  on  the  road  to  the 
Barrancas,  for  the  troops.  These  barracks  in  the  phrase  of  this 
service  are  called  cantonments,  this  one,  after  the  colonel,  is 
named  cantonment  Clinch.  It  consists  of  ten  log-houses  built  in 
a  row,  under  one  roof.  Each  house  is  for  a  company,  and  con 
tains  two  rooms.  Before  this  long  range  of  barracks,  is  a  large 
parade,  with  a  flag  staff.  Opposite  to  this  are  the  officers  quar 
ters.  The  officers  of  each  company  have  a  house,  which  stands 
opposite  to  the  barrack  of  their  own  soldiers.  Behind  the  long 
building  for  the  men,  is  the  range  of  kitchens;  behind  this  is  the 
guard  house  and  prisoners  room,  and  still  farther  back  in  the 
woods,  the  etcetera.  On  the  right  wing  is  the  colonel's  house, 
placed  in  a  garden  surrounded  by  a  palisade.  The  house  is  built 


49 

of  wood,  two  stories  high,  and  furnished  with  a  piazza  helow, 
and  a  gallery  above.  Upon  the  left  wing,  stands  a  similar  build 
ing  appointed  for  the  residence  of  the  lieutenant  colonel  and  ma 
jor;  at  present,  however,  arranged  as  an  hospital,  as  the  first  offi 
cer  commands  in  Tampa  Bay,  and  the  major 'in  Fort  Mitchel. 
The  cantonment  has  its  front  towards  the28 bay;  at  the  foot  of  the 
eminence  on  which  it  stands,  is  a  bayou,  and  the  appearance  is 
really  handsome.  The  colonel  has  only  two  officers  and  about 
twenty  men,  with  the  regimental  surgeon,  so  that  the  inspection 
was  soon  completed. 

After  dinner  we  returned  to  the  town,  and  passed  the  evening 
in  a  very  pleasant  party  at  Mr.  Walton's,  which  was  given  from 
politeness  to  me.  I  found  here  several  Creole  ladies  of  the  place, 
who  spoke  bad  French,  but  looked  very  well,  and  were  dressed 
with  taste.  Conversation  was  our  only  amusement,  but  this  was 
animated  and  well  supported. 

On  the  15th  of  January  we  left  Pensacola,  at  eight  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  to  return  to  Mobile  by  the  same  way  we  came.  We 
encountered  a  skunk,  something  larger  than  a  cat,  with  a  thick, 
hairy,  and  erect  tail.  This  creature  cannot  run  with  agility,  and 
we  could  easily  have  caught  it.  We,  however,  suffered  it  to  go 
quietly  to  its  hole,  as  it  scatters  its  effluvium  when  disturbed,  and 
if  the  least  piece  of  clothing  be  touched  by  it,  it  must  be  thrown 
away  entirely,  as  there  is  no  method  of  freeing  it  from  the  de 
testable  smell.  If  a  dog  is  sprinkled  by  it  he  become  almost  sick, 
whines,  and  throws  himself  about  for  some  time  on  the  earth. 
We  passed  also  two  wolf-traps,  resembling  our  rat-traps,  but  of 
course  constructed  on  a  larger  scale. 

We  made  a  short  stay  at  the  house  on  Perdido  river.  We  met 
with  a  planter  from  the  banks  of  the  Alabama,  who  had  come 
here  to  take  back  one  of  his  negroes,  whom  he  had  hired  before 
to  the  mistress  of  this  house  and  ferry.  He  had  treated  the  poor 
creature  with  such  barbarity,  that  the  negro  not  far  from  the 
house  had  threatened  him  with  the  knife,  and  had  ran  back.  The 
man  had  put  us  across  the  river,  but  as  soon  as  he  saw  his  master, 
he  ran  away  quickly,  and  wTas  no  more  to  be  seen.  The  gentle 
man  asked  us  to  assist  him  in  arresting  and  detaining  his  negro, 
but  we  unanimously  rejected  his  proposal  with  disgust.  Some 
days  before,  the  negro  had  pleased  me  much  by  his  lively  and 
agreeable  disposition,  while  his  master  and  tormentor  appeared 
to  me,  in  every  respect,  highly  the  reverse. 

About  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  reached  the  same  log- 
house  in  which  we  had  passed  the  night,  near  Belle  Fontaine.  As 
it  was  still  daylight,  I  went  immediately  in  search  of  the  spring 
to  which  this  place  owes  its  name;  I  found,  however,  only  a 
marsh  with  several  springs,  about  which,  except  the  vegetation, 

VOL,  II.  7 


50 

there  was  nothing  attractive.  The  landlord  was  not  at  home,  and 
the  whole  domestic  management  rested  on  the  poor  pale  wife, 
who  had  five  children  to  take  care  of,  and  expected  a  sixth  soon. 
She  had  for  an  assistant  a  single  little  negro  wench,  who  was  soon 
sent  away,  so  the  poor  woman  had  every  thing  to  provide 5  yet 
she  set  before  us  an  excellent  supper. 

Towards  morning,  I  was  roused  out  of  my  uneasy  slumbers 
by  a  powerful  uproar.  It  was  caused  by  cranes  that  flew  over 
the  house.  At  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  left  Belle  Fon 
taine  and  travelled  back  to  Blakely,  where  we  arrived  before  five 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  took  possession  of  our  former  quar 
ters.  Through  the  whole  passage  back,  not  the  least  thing  oc 
curred  worthy  of  remark.  A  good  road  could  be  made  at  little 
expense  between  Blakely  and  Pensacola,  at  least  the  numerous 
large  trees,  which  after  violent  storms  have  fallen  transversely 
over  the  road  and  shut  it  up,  might  be  cleared  away.  One  is 
obliged  often  to  make  a  considerable  circuit  on  account  of  these 
trees. 

On  the  following  morning  at  ten  o'clock,  we  embarked  once 
more  on  board  the  steam-boat  Emeline,  and  in  very  fine,  though 
cold  weather,  reached  Mobile  at  twelve  o'clock.  We  found  Mr. 
Bowdoin  confined  to  his  bed,  with  the  gout  in  both  legs.  We  im 
mediately  betook  ourselves  to  the  harbour.  During  our  absence, 
the  packet  schooner  Emblem,  Captain  Vincent,  from  New  Or 
leans,  had  arrived  here,  and  designed  returning  to  that  city.  The 
captain  had  heard  of  us,  and  remained  some  time  to  take  us  along. 
His  vessel  stood  in  very  high  repute,  as  well  for  her  sailing,  as 
on  account  of  accommodation  and  cleanliness.  We  agreed  for  the 
passage  at  fifteen  dollars  for  each  person.  The  vessel  would 
have  sailed  exactly  on  this  day,  but  as  the  captain  had  understood 
that  we  were  desirous  of  seeing  the  new  fort  on  Mobile  point, 
which  was  built  thirty  miles  from  Mobile,  he  was  so  polite  as 
to  postpone  his  voyage  till  the  next  morning,  to  allow  us  to  see 
the  fort  by  daylight. 

Of  course,  we  had  some  time  on  our  hands.  We  took  a  walk 
in  the  woods  situated  behind  the  town,  which  is  composed  of 
pines,  and  some  evergreen  bushes.  It  is  also  the  great  burial- 
ground,  which  is  thickly  filled  up  by  the  agency  of  the  yellow 
fever,  and  the  sickly  climate.  Several  Choctaw  Indians  bivouacked 
here,  like  gypsies;  the  men  lay  drunk  upon  the  earth,  and  their 
miserable  women  were  obliged  to  carry  the  bundles  of  wood  to 
town  for  sale. 

To  my  great  astonishment,  I  learned  that  there  were  gambling- 
houses  even  here,  kept  by  Frenchmen,  and  that  each  in  the  city 
paid  a  yearly  tax  of  one  thousand  dollars  for  a  license.  I  was 
told  that  respectable  merchants  were  in  the  habit  of  going  there 


51 

to  have  an  eye  over  their  clerks,  and  also  to  observe  what  me 
chanics,  or  other  small  tradesmen,  played  here,  to  stop  giving 
credit  to  such  as  haunted  the  resorts  of  these  gentry.  I  was  taken 
to  two  of  these  gambling-houses,  which  are  united  with  coffee 
houses,  to  see  how  they  were  conducted.  In  one  of  them  were 
two  roulette  tables,  in  two  separate  rooms,  in  the  other,  which 
was  smaller,  one  roulette  and  one  pharo  table.  There  was  betted 
here  silver  and  paper,  but  not  more  than  twenty  dollars  bank 
notes,  and  most  of  them  did  not  bet  more  than  a  dollar  a  time. 
A  couple  of  young  fellows  lost  all  that  they  had,  and  behaved 
very  indecently  when  they  were  stripped  of  their  money.  Se 
veral  of  the  better  sort  appeared  to  be  country  people,  who  had 
brought  their  corn  and  cotton  to  market,  and  only  played  off  their 
profits.  At  one  of  the  tables  sat  some  common  sailors,  half  drunk. 
We  found  rather  low  company  collected  in  both  houses,  and  our 
curiosity  was  soon  satisfied.  It  is  to  be  hoped,  that  the  legisla 
ture  of  Alabama  will  prohibit  such  houses.  They  are,  on  the 
whole,  very  good  places  for  recruiting  the  army  and  navy! 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

Journey  to  Neio  Orleans,  and  Residence  in  that  City. 

ON  the  18th  of  January,  we  embarked  in  the  schooner  Em 
blem,  whose  cabin  was  proportioned  to  her  tonnage,  (which  was 
but  fifty  tons,)  but  comfortably  high,  and  well  ornamented.  The 
sides  were  of  mahogany  and  maple;  on  each  side  were  two  state 
rooms,  with  two  births  each;  the  back  part  of  the  cabin,  being 
something  higher  than  the  forward  part,  contained  a  birth  on  each 
side.  Of  these,  the  starboard  was  occupied  by  Mr.  Bowdoin, 
the  other  by  myself. 

The  shores  of  Mobile  Bay,  which  is  very  wide,  are  low  and 
overgrown  with  wood,  before  us  lay  a  long  island,  called  Isle 
Dauphine,  by  the  unfortunate  Delasalle,  who  discovered  it.  Mo 
bile  point  lies  to  the  left,  where,  after  sunset,  we  beheld  the  light 
in  the  light-house.  There  stood  on  this  point  in  the  late  war  a 
small  fort,  called  Fort  Bowyer,  which  the  present  Lieutenant- 
Colonel,  then  Major  Lawrence,  gallantly  defended,  with  a  garri 
son  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  men,  against  eight  hundred  dis 
embarked  English  sailors  and  Seminole  Indians,  under  Major 
Nichols.  The  assailants  were  defeated,  after  their  ordnance  was 
dismounted,  with  considerable  loss,  and  the  English  corvette 


52 

Hermes,  which  covered  the  attack,  was  blown  up  by  the  well- 
directed  fire  of  the  fort.  In  February,  1815,  this  brave  officer 
found  himself  obliged  to  yield  to  superior  force,  and  to  capitulate 
to  Admiral  Cockburn,  who  was  on  his  return  from  the  unsuc 
cessful  expedition  to  New  Orleans.  This  was  the  last  act  of  hos 
tility  that  occurred  during  that  war.  Fort  Bowyer  is  since  de 
molished,  and  in  its  stead  a  more  extensive  fortress  is  erecting, 
which  we  would  willingly  have  inspected,  had  the  wind  been 
more  favourable,  and  brought  us  there  earlier.  We  steered  be 
tween  Mobile  Point  and  Dauphin  Island,  so  as  to  reach  the  Mexi 
can  gulf,  and  turning  then  to  the  right,  southward  of  the  Sandy 
Islands,  which  laid  along  the  coast,  sailed  towards  LakeBorgne. 
Scarcely  were  we  at  sea,  when  a  strong  wind  rose  from  the  west, 
which  blew  directly  against  us.  We  struggled  nearly  the  whole 
night  to  beat  to  windward,  but  in  vain.  The  wind  changed  to  a 
gale,  with  rain,  thunder,  and  lightning.  The  main-topmast  was 
carried  away,  and  fell  on  deck.  The  mate  was  injured  by  the 
helm  striking  him  in  the  side,  and  was  for  a  time  unfit  for  duty. 
On  account  of  the  great  bustle  on  deck,  the  passengers  could 
hardly  close  an  eye  all  night.  The  motion  of  the  vessel  was 
violent,  on  account  of  her  small  size.  A  falling  block  broke  out 
several  of  the  panes  in  the  sky-light  of  the  cabin,  so  that  the 
rain  was  admitted,  and  the  furniture  was  tossed  about  by  the 
rolling. 

On  the  morning  of  the  19th  of  January,  we  were  driven  back 
to  the  strait  between  Dauphin  Island  and  Mobile  Point,  and  the 
anchor  was  dropt  to  prevent  farther  drifting.  I  was  sea-sick,  but 
had  the  consolation  that  several  passengers  shared  my  misfortune. 
The  whole  day  continued  disagreeable,  cold,  and  cloudy.  As 
we  lay  not  far  from  Dauphin  Island,  several  of  our  company  went 
on  shore,  and  brought  back  a  few  thrushes  which  they  had  shot. 
I  was  too  unwell  to  feel  any  desire  of  visiting  this  inhospitable 
island,  a  mere  strip  of  sand,  bearing  nothing  but  everlasting  pines. 
Upon  it,  stands  some  remains  of  an  old  entrenchment  and  barrack. 
Besides  the  custom-house  officers,  only  three  families  live  on  the 
whole  island.  We  saw  the  light-house,  and  the  houses  at  Mobile 
Point,  not  far  from  us.  I  wished  to  have  gone  there  to  see  the 
fortification  lately  commenced,  but  it  was  too  far  to  go  on  a  rough 
sea  in  a  skiff. 

On  the  20th  of  January,  the  wind  was  more  favourable;  it  blew 
from  the  north-cast,  and  dispersed  the  clouds,  and  we  set  sail. 
After  several  delays,  caused  by  striking  on  sand-banks,  we  pro 
ceeded  with  a  favourable  wind,  passed  Dauphin  Island  and  the 
islands  Petit  Bois,  Massacre,  Horn,  and  Ship  Island. 

These  islands  consist  of  high  sand-hills,  some  of  them  covered 
with  pine,  and  remind  one  strongly  of  the  coasts  of  Holland  and 


53 

Flanders.     Behind  Horn  and  Massacre  Islands  lies  a  bay,  which 
is  called  Pascagoula,  from  a  river  rising  in  the  state  of  Mississippi, 
and  emptying  here  into  the  sea.     Ship  Island  is  about  nine  miles 
long,  and  it  was  here  that  the  English  fleet  which  transported  the 
troops  sent  on  the  expedition  against  New  Orleans,  remained 
during  the  months  of  December  and  January,  1814-15.     At  a 
considerable  distance  from  us  to  the  left,  were  some  scattered 
islands,  called  Les  Malheureux.     Behind  these  were  the  islands 
De  la  Chandeleur,  and  still  farther  La  Clef  du  Francmagon.  Af 
terwards  we  passed  a  muddy  shallow,  upon  which,  luckily,  we 
did  not  stick  fast,  and  arrived  in  the  gulf  Lac  Borgne,  which  con 
nects  itself  with  Lake  Ponchartrain,  lying  back  of  it,  by  two  com 
munications,  each  above  a  mile  broad;  of  which  one  is  called  Chef 
Menteur,  and  the  other  the  Rigolets.  Both  are  guarded  by  forts, 
the  first  by  the  fort  of  Chef  Menteur,  the  other  by  that  of  the 
Petites  Coquilles,  so  called  because  it  is  built  on  a  foundation  of 
muscle  shells,  and  its  walls  are  composed  of  a  cement  of  the  same. 
We  took  this  last  direction,  and  passed  the  Rigolets  in  the  night, 
with  a  fair  wind.     Night  had  already  fallen  when  we  reached 
Lake  Borgne.     After  we  had  passe.d  the  Rigolets,  we  arrived  in 
Lake  Ponchartrain,  then  turned  left  from  the  light-house  of  Fort 
St.  John,  which  protects  the  entrance  of  the  bayou  of  the  same 
name,  leading  to  New  Orleans. 

I  awoke  on  the  21st  of  January,  as  we  entered  the  bayou  St. 
John.  This  water  is  so  broad,  that  we  could  not  see  the  northern 
shore.  We  remained  at  the  entrance  one  hour,  to  give  the  sailors 
a  short  rest,  who  had  worked  the  whole  night,  and  whose  duty 
it  was  now  to  tow  the  vessel  to  the  city,  six  miles  distant.  This 
fort,  which  has  lost  its  importance  since  the  erection  of  Chef 
Menteur,  and  Petites  Coquilles,  is  abandoned,  and  a  tavern  is  now 
building  in  its  place.  It  lies  about  five  hundred  paces  distant 
from  the  sea,  but  on  account  of  the  marshy  banks  cannot  be  thence 
attacked  without  great  difficulty.  The  bank  is  covered  with  thick 
beams,  to  make  it  hold  firm,  which  covering  in  this  hot  and  damp 
climate  perishes  very  quickly.  The  causeway  which  runs  along 
the  bayou,  is  of  made  earth  on  a  foundation  of  timber.  Behind 
the  fort  is  a  public  house,  called  Ponchartrain  Hotel,  which  is 
much  frequented  by  persons  from  the  city  during  summer.  I  re 
cognized  the  darling  amusements  of  the  inhabitants,  in  a  pharo 
and  roulette  table. 

As  the  passage  hence  to  the  city  is  very  tedious  in  stages,  we 
proposed  to  hire  a  carriage,  but  there  was  none  to  be  found;  six 
dollars  was  asked  for  a  boat;  we  therefore,  decided  to  go  on  foot. 
The  Colonel,  Mr.  Huygens,  Mr.  Egbert,  Mr.  Chew,  and  myself 
made  up  this  walking  party.  The  morning  was  beautiful  spring 
weather ;  we  passed  through  a  shocking  marshy  country,  along 


54 

the  right  side  of  (he  bayou.  The  woods  were  hanging  full  of 
the  hateful  Spanish  moss,  and  a  number  of  palmettoes  were  the 
only  variety  afforded.  The  causeway  was  very  muddy;  there 
were  good  wooden  bridges  over  little  ditches,  which  conveyed 
the  water  from  the  surrounding  marshes  into  the  bayou. 

After  we  had  proceeded  three  miles  in  this  manner,  we  came 
into  a  cultivated  district,  passed  a  sort  of  gate,  and  found  our 
selves  quite  in  another  world.  Plantations,  with  handsome 
buildings,  followed  in  quick  succession ;  noble  live  oaks,  which 
had  been  trimmed  to  regular  shapes,  young  orange  trees,  pride 
of  China,  and  other  tropical  trees  and  bushes,  along  the  road. 
Several  inns  and  public  gardens  were  exhibited,  for  a  population 
that  willingly  seeks  amusement.  We  noticed  several  mansion- 
houses,  ornamented  with  columns,  piazzas,  and  covered  galle 
ries  ;  some  of  these  were  of  ancient  style  in  building.  It  was 
naturally  agreeable  to  me,  after  wandering  a  long  time  in  mere 
wildernesses,  once  more  to  come  into  a  long  civilized  country. 
We  saw  from  afar,  the  white  spires  of  the  cathedral  of  New  Or 
leans,  also  the  masts  of  the  ships  lying  in  the  Mississippi.  The 
bayou  unites  itself,  three  miles  from  this  city,  with  a  canal  lead 
ing  thither,  which  we  passed  upon  a  turning  bridge,  to  strike  into 
the  city  by  a  nearer  way. 

This  road  carried  us  between  well-built  mansions,  and  over 
the  streets  were  hung  reflecting  lamps.  The  first  view  of  the  city, 
as  we  reached,  without  knowing  it,  was  really  not  handsome; 
for  we  came  into  the  oldest  section,  which  consisted  only  of 
little  one-story  houses,  with  mud  walls,  and  wide  projecting 
roofs.  On  the  whole,  the  ctreets  are  regularly  laid  out,  part 
parallel  with  the  river,  the  rest  perpendicular  to  it.  The  ancient 
town  was  surrounded  by  a  wall,  which  is  destroyed,  in  its  room 
there  is  a  boulevard  laid  out,  (fclled  Rue  de  Remparts.  Next  to 
the  old  town  below,  lies  the  suburb  Marigny,  and  above,  that  of 
St.  Mary;  then  begins  the  most  elegant  part  of  the  city. 

Before  we  searched  for  lodgings,  we  looked  about  a  little 
through  the  city,  and  went  first  to  the  Mississippi,  to  pay  our 
homage  to  this  «  father  of  rivers."  It  is  about  half  a  mile  wide, 
and  must  be  above  eighty  fathoms  deep  ;  it  is  separated  from  the 
city  by  a  compost  of  muscle  shells.  This  causeway  defends  it 
from  inundations.  There  are  no  wharves,  they  cannot  be  fixed, 
as  the  river  would  sweep  them  away.  The  ships  lay  four  and 
five  deep,  in  tiers  along  the  bank,  as  in  the  Thames,  at  London, 
lelow  them,  were  ten  very  large  steam-boats,  employed  in  the 
river  trade.  In  a  line  with  the  bank  stood  houses,  which  were 
two  or  three  stories  high,  and  built  of  brick,  also  ancient  massive 
Spanish  houses,  known  by  their  heavy,  solid  style,  and  mostly 
white.  We  passed  by  a  square,  of  which  the  river  formed  one 


55 

side,  opposite  stood  the  cathedral,  and  on  each  side  of  it,  a  mas 
sive  public  edifice,  with  arcades.  Along  the  bank  stood  the 
market-houses,  built  of  brick,  modelled  after  the  Propylaea,  in 
Athens,  and  divided  into  separate  blocks.  We  saw  in  these, 
fine  pine-apples,  oranges,  bananas,  peccan-nuts,  cocoa-nuts,  and 
vegetables  of  different  descriptions;  also  several  shops,  in  which 
coffee  and  oysters  were  sold.  The  black  population  appeared 
very  large;  we  were  informed,  that  above  one-half  of  the  in 
habitants,  forty-five  thousand  in  number,  were  of  the  darker 
colour.  The  custom-house  on  the  Lev6e,  is  a  pretty  building. 

We  met  a  merchant,  Mr.  Ogden,  partner  of  Mr.  William 
Nott,  to  whose  house  I  had  letters,  who  had  the  politeness  to 
take  charge  of  us,  and  assist  us  in  our  search  for  lodgings.  We 
obtained  tolerable  quarters  in  the  boarding  house  of  Madame 
Herries,  Rue  de  Chartres.  The  first  person  I  encountered  in 
this  house,  was  Count  Vidua,  with  whom  I  had  become  acquaint 
ed  in  New  York,  and  who  since  had  travelled  through  Canada, 
the  western  country,  and  down  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi. 

My  first  excursion  was  to  visit  Mr.  Grymes,  who  here  inha 
bits  a  large,  massive,  and  splendidly  furnished  house.  I  found 
only  Mrs.  Grymes  at  home,  who  after  an  exceedingly  fatiguing 
journey  arrived  here,  and  in  fourteen  days  after  had  given  birth 
to  a  fine  son.  I  found  two  elegantly  arranged  rooms  prepared 
for  me,  but  I  did  not  accept  this  hospitable  invitation.  After 
some  time  Mr.  Grymes  came  home,  and  accompanied  me  back  to 
my  lodgings.  As  our  schooner  had  not  yet  arrived,  we  went  to 
meet  it  and  found  it  in  the  canal,  a  mile  and  a  half  from  town, 
where  two  cotton  boats  blocked  up  the  way.  We  had  our  bag 
gage  put  into  the  skiff,  and  came  with  it  into  the  basin,  where  the 
canal  terminates. 

In  the  evening  we  paid  our  visit  to  the  governor  of  the  state  « 
of  Louisiana,  Mr.  Johnson,  but  dtd  not  find  him  at  home.  After 
this  we  went  to  several  coffee-houses,  where  the  lower  class 
amused  themselves,  hearing  a  workman  singing  in  Spanish, 
which  he  accompanied  with  the  guitar.  Mr.  Grymes  took  me 
to  the  masked  ball,  which  is  held  every  evening  during  the  car 
nival  at  the  French  theatre.  The  saloon  in  which  they  danced, 
was  quite  long,  well  planned,  and  adorned  with  large  mirrors. 
Round  it  were  three  rows  of  benches  amphitheatrically  arrang 
ed.  There  were  few  masks,  only  a  few  dominos,  none  in  cha 
racter.  Cotillions  and  waltzes  were  the  dances  performed.  The 
dress  of  the  ladies  I  observed  to  be  very  elegant,  but  understood 
that  most  of  .those  dancing  did  not  belong  to  the  better  class  of 
society.  There  were  several  adjoining  rooms  open,  in  which 
there  is  a  supper  when  subscription  balls  are  given.  In  the 
ground  floor  of  the  building  are  rooms,  in  which  pharo  and 


56 

roulette  are  played.  These  places  were  obscure,  and  resembled 
caverns:  the  company  playing  there  appeared  from  their  dress, 
not  to  be  of  the  best  description. 

Next  day,  we  made  new  acquaintances,  and  renewed  some 
old  ones.  I  remained  in  this  city  several  weeks,  for  I  was  oblig 
ed  to  give  up  my  plan  of  visiting  Mexico,  as  no  stranger  was  al 
lowed  to  go  to  that  country  who  was  not  a  subject  of  such  states 
as  had  recognized  the  new  government.  There  were  too  many 
obstacles  in  my  way,  and  therefore  I  determined  to  wait  in  New 
Orleans  for  the  mild  season,  and  then  to  ascend  the  Mississippi. 
The  result  was  an  extensive  acquaintance,  a  succession  of  visits, 
a  certain  conformity  in  living,  from  which  one  cannot  refrain 
yielding  to  in  a  city.  No  day  passed  over  this  whiter  which  did 
not  produce  something  pleasant  or  interesting,  each  day  how 
ever,  was  nearly  the  same  as  its  predecessors.  Dinners,  evening 
parties,  plays,  masquerades,  and  other  amusements  followed  close 
on  each  other,  and  were  interrupted  only  by  the  little  circum 
stances  which  accompany  life  in  this  hemisphere,  as  well  as  in 
the  other. 

The  cathedral  in  New  Orleans  is  built  in  a  dull  and  heavy 
style  of  architecture  externally,  with  a  gable  on  which  a  tower 
and  two  lateral  cupolas  are  erected.  The  fagade  is  so  confused, 
that  I  cannot  pretend  to  describe  it.  Within,  the  church  resem 
bles  a  village  church  in  Flanders.  The  ceiling  is  of  wood,  the  pil 
lars  which  support  it,  and  divide  the  nave  into  three  aisles,  are 
heavy,  made  of  wood,  covered  with  plaster:  as  well  as  the  walls, 
they  are  constructed  without  taste.  The  three  altars  are  distin 
guished  by  no  remarkable  ornament.  Upon  one  of  the  side  al 
tars  stands  an  ugly  wax  image  of  the  virgin  and  child.  Near  the 
great  altar  is  a  throne  for  the  bishop.  On  Sundays  and  holy-days, 
this  cathedral  is  visited  by  the  beau  monde;  except  on  these  occa 
sions,  I  found  that  most  of  the  worshippers  consisted  only  of 
blacks,  and  coloured  people,  the  chief  part  of  them  females. 

The  sinking  of  the  earth  of  the  Levee  is  guarded  against  in  a 
peculiar  way.  In  Holland  piles  are  driven  in  along  the  water  for 
this  purpose,  and  held  together  by  wattling.  After  the  dam  is 
raised  up,  there  are  palisades  of  the  same  kind  placed  behind 
each  other.  Here  the  twigs  of  the  palmetto  arc  inserted  in  the 
ground  close  together,  and  their  fan-like  leaves  form  a  wall, 
which  prevents  the  earth  from  rolling  down. 

There  are  only  two  streets  paved  in  the  city;  but  all  have  brick 
side-walks.  The  paving  stones  are  brought  as  ballast  by  the  ships 
from  the  northern  states,  and  sell  here  very  high.  Several  side 
walks  are  also  laid  with  broad  flag  stones.  In  the  carriage  way 
of  the  streets  there  is  a  prodigious  quantity  of  mud.  After  a 
rain  it  is  difficult  even  for  a  carriage  to  pass;  the  walkers  who 


57 

wish  to  go  from  one  side  to  the  other,  have  a  severe  inconve 
nience  before  them;  either  they  must  make  a  long  digression,  to 
find  some  stones  that  are  placed  in  the  abyss,  for  the  benefit  of 
jumping  over,  or  if  they  undertake  to  wade  through,  run  a  risk 
of  sticking  fast. 

Sunday  is  not  observed  with  the  puritanic  strictness  in  New 
Orleans,  that  it  is  in  the  north.  The  shops  are  open,  and  there 
is  singing  and  guitar-playing  in  the  streets.  In  New  York,  or 
Philadelphia,  such  proceedings  would  be  regarded  as  outrageously 
indecent.  On  a  Sunday  we  went  for  the  first  time,  to  the  French 
theatre,  in  which  a  play  was  performed  every  Sunday  and 
Thursday.  The  piece  for  this  night,  was  the  tragedy  of  Regulus, 
and  two  vaudevilles.  The  dramatic  corps  was  merely  tolerable, 
such  as  those  of  the  small  French  provincial  towns,*  where  they 
never  presume  to  present  tragedies,  or  comedies  of  the  highest 
class.  "  Regulus"  was  murdered  ;  Mr.  Marchand  and  Madame 
Clozel,  whose  husband  performed  the  comic  parts  very  well  in 
the  vaudevilles,  alone  distinguished  themselves.  The  saloon  is 
not  very  large,  but  well  ornamented ;  below  is  the  pit  and  par 
quet,  a  row  of  boxes  each  for  four  persons,  and  before  them  a 
balcony.  The  boxes  are  not  divided  by  walls,  but  only  separated 
by  a  low  partition,  so  that  the  ladies  can  exhibit  themselves  con 
veniently.  Over  the  first  row  of  boxes  is  a  second,  to  which 
the  free  colored  people  resort,  who  are  not  admitted  to  any  other 
part  of  the  theatre,  and  above  this'  row  is  the  gallery,  in  which 
slaves  may  go,  with  the  permission  of  their  masters.  Behind 
the  boxes  is  a  lobby,  where  the  gentlemen  who  do  not  wish  to 
sit  in  a  box,  stand,  or  walk  about,  where  they  can  see  over  the 
boxes.  The  theatre  was  less  attended,  than  we  had  supposed 
it  would  be;  and  it  was  said,  that  the  great  shock  felt  in  the 
commercial  world,  on  account  of  the  bankruptcy  of  three  of  the 
most  distinguished  houses,  in  consequence  of  unfortunate  specu 
lations  in  cotton,  and  the  failures  in  Liverpool,  was  the  cause  of 
this  desertion. 

The  garrison  consists  of  two  companies  of  infantry,  of  the 
first  and  fourth  regiments.  This  has  been  here  since  the  last  in 
surrection  of  the  negroes,  and  has  been  continued,  to  overawe 
them.  In  case  of  a  serious  alarm,  this  would  prove  but  of  little 
service!  and  what  security  is  there  against  such  an  alarm?  In  Char- 
tres  street,  where  we  dwelt,  there  were  two  establishments, 
which  constantly  revolted  my  feelings,  to  wit :  shops  in  which 
negroes  were  purchased  and  sold.  These  unfortunate  beings,  of 

*  [This  is  the  same  corps  which  the  Philadelphia's  extol  so  highly,  that  one 
might  almost  suppose  them  equal  to  the  artists  of  the  Theatre  Francis,  if,  un 
fortunately,  one  visit  to  the  theatre,  did  not  completely  dispel  the  illusion!] — 
TRASS. 

VOL.  II.  « 


58 

both  sexes,  stood  or  sat  the  whole  day,  in  these  shops,  or  in  front 
of  them,  to  exhibit  themselves,  and  wait  for  purchasers.  The 
abomination  is  shocking,  and  the  barbarity  and  indifference, 
produced  by  the  custom  in  white  men,  is  indescribable.  * 

There  were  subscription  balls  given  in  New  Orleans,  to  which 
the  managers  had  the  politeness  to  invite  us.  These  balls  took 
place  twice  a  week,  Tuesdays  and  Fridays,  at  the  French  theatre, 
where  the  masquerade  had  been,  which  I  mentioned  before. 
None  but  good  society  were  admitted  to  these  subscription  balls ; 
the  first  that  we  attended  was  not  crowded,  however,  the  gene 
rality  of  the  ladies  present  were  very  pretty,  and  had  a  very 
genteel  French  air.  The  dress  was  extremely  elegant,  and  after 
the  latest  Paris  fashion.  The  ladies  danced,  upon  the  whole, 
excellently,  and  did  great  honour  to  their  French  teachers. 
Dancing,  and  some  instruction  in  music,  is  almost  the  whole 
education  of  the  female  Creoles. 

Most  of  the  gentlemen  here  are  far  behind  the  ladies  in  ele 
gance.  They  did  not  remain  long  at  the  ball,  but  hasted  away 
to  the  quadroon  ball,  so  called,  where  they  amused  themselves 
more,  and  were  more  at  their  ease.  This  was  the  reason  why 
there  were  more  ladies  than  gentlemen  present  at  the  ball,  and 
that  many  were  obliged  'to  form  "tapestry."  When  a  lady  is 
left  sitting,  she  is  said  to  be  "bredouille."  Two  cotillions  and 
a  waltz,  are  danced  in  succession,  and  there  is  hardly  an  interval 
of  two  or  three  minutes  between  the  dances.  The  music  was 
performed  by  negroes  and  coloured  people,  and  was  pretty  good. 
The  governor  was  also  at  the  ball,  and  introduced  me  to  several 
gentlemen,  among  others,  a  Frenchman,  General  Garrigues  de 
Flaugeac,  who,  having  emigrated  here  from  St.  Domingo,  had  mar 
ried,  and  given  the  world  some  very  handsome  daughters.  Several 
of  the  French  familes  here  settled,  and  indeed,  the  most  respect 
able,  were  emigrants  from  that  island,  who  wait  for  the  indem- 

*  Among  the  slave  traders,  a  Hollander  from  Amsterdam,  disgusted  me  par 
ticularly,  his  name  was  Jacobs.  He  had  the  most  vulgar  and  sinister  counte 
nance  imaginable,  was  constantly  drunk,  and  treated  the  wretched  negroes 
in  the  most  brutal  manner;  he  was,  however,  severely  beaten  by  these  miser 
able  beings,  driven  to  despair,  f 

«nf»  7h°,i  V'r!iUi!mS,  Imli5natinn  °f  the  Duke,  at  these  horrible  consequences  of  slavery,  Is  gnch  as  every  man, 
r>t  burdened  by  tec  familiarity  with  such  scenes,  most  feel ;  those  to  whom  they  are  dally  presented  regard 
nerenoe,  or  even  attempt  to  ai^ue  in  favour  of  their  continuance  and  liarmlessness.    It  is 
-  -enerally  known,  as  it  should  be,  that  the  .slare  traiie  is  carried  on,  almost  as  vigorously 
LbZ0!ilXP"sof  almost  every  nation;  not  in  the  least  excepting;  Americans.     The  slave  vc 


59 

mfication  due  to  them,  but  without  any  great  hopes  of  receiv 
ing  it. 

Colonel  Wool  inspected  the  two  companies  of  the  first  and 
fourth  regiments,  under  Major  Twiggs  stationed  here;  both  to 
gether  made  at  the  most,  eighty  men  under  arms.  The  inspec 
tion  took  place  before  the  Cathedral.  I  admired  the  good  order 
and  great  propriety  of  these  companies,  as  well  as  their  uniformity 
of  march  and  dressing,  which  I  had  no  opportunity  to  observe 
before,  in  the  troops  of  the  United  States.  There  was  indeed 
many  things  to  be  wished  for;  as  for  example,  the  coats  of  the 
men  did  not  fit,  and  many  were  too  short;  the  grey  cloth  panta 
loons  were  of  different  shades,  and  much  too  short ;  no  bayonet 
sheaths,  nor  gun  straps;  the  belt  intended  for  the  bayonet  sheath 
over  that  of  the  cartridge  box:  the  privates  had  wooden  flints  in 
their  guns,  and  none  in  their  cartridge  boxes,  also  no  spare  flints, 
files,  screwdrivers,  nor  oil  flasks.  From  the  false  maxim,  that 
the  second  rank,  if  they  are  shorter  men,  cannot  fire  over  the 
front,  the  lesser  men  are  ranged  in  the  first,  and  the  taller  in  the 
second  rank  through  the  whole  army  of  the  United  States,  and 
this  produces  a  great  eye-sore.  There  was  some  manual  exer 
cise,  and  manoeuvres  in  battalion  training:  all  good.  The  sol 
diers  were  mostly  young,  handsome  and  strong  men,  well  fed 
and  healthy  looking  natives  of  the  western  states;  there  were 
some  Germans  and  Irish  among  them.  The  Irish,  however,  since 
their  conduct  is  often  in  nowise  commendable,  are  no  longer  ad 
mitted.  Governor  Johnson  remained  during  the  review,  which 
lasted  above  an  hour  or  more;  there  were  also  several  members 
of  the  legislature  now  assembling,  present.  I  formed  an  acquaint 
ance  here  with  General  La  Coste,  who  formerly  had  been  en 
gaged  in  the  Spanish  service,  and  at  present  commanded  a  divi 
sion  of  the  Louisiana  militia.  Colonel  Croghan  also  attended  the 
review.  * 

When  the  review  was  over,  the  governor  showed  me  the  two 
extensive  buildings,  joining  the  Cathedral,  with  arcades,  as  before- 
mentioned.  One  of  them  is  devoted  to  the  use  of  the  several 
courts  of  justice,  and  the  other  is  the  City  Hall.  In  the  first,  the 
United  States  court  was  holding  its  sessions,  and  as  it  was  rather 
cold,  the  judge  had  removed  himself  to  the  fire-place,  there  to 
have  the  business  transacted  before  him.  The  suit  in  controversy 
related  to  the  sale  of  a  negro.  The  buyer  had  purchased  him 

*  Colonel  CROC HAN  was  one  of  the  most  distinguished  officers  of  the  Ameri 
can  army.  In  the  last  war,  he  defended  a  miserable  stockade,  (Fort  Stephen- 
son)  on  Lake  Erie,  against  a  force  eight  times  greater  than  his  own,  which  had 
artillery,  and  drove  it  back.  After  the  peace,  he  was  appointed  Post  Master  of 
New  Orleans,  and  during  ray  stay  in  this  city,  he  had  entered  again  into  the  ar 
my,  and  held  the  post  of  second  Inspector-General. 


60 

as  a  slave  for  life;  after  the  bargain  had  been  concluded,  and  pay 
ment  made,  he  discovered,  by  the  declaration  of  his  former  mas 
ter,  the  seller,  that  at  a  certain  period  he  was  to  be  free.   I  could 
not  remain  long  enough  in  the  court,  to  wait  for  the  decision. 

We  passed  then  to  the  City  Hall.  In  the  lower  story,  is  the 
guard-house  of  the  city  guard,  besides  a  prison*  for  runaways,  or 
negroes  punished  by  order  of  their  masters,  who  are  here  incar 
cerated,  and  employed  in  all  servile  labours  for  the  city ;  they  are 
termed  negres  marrons.  The  masters  receive  a  daily  recom 
pense  of  twenty-five  cents  for  each  imprisoned  negro.  Near  the 
guard-house  stands  a  small  piece  of  ordnance,  from  which  the 
signal  tattoo  is  fired.  After  this  shot,  no  negro  can  tread  the 
streets  without  a  pass.t  The  upper  stories  of  this  building  con 
tains  the  offices  and  court  halls  of  the  magistrates.  Part  of  them 
were  ornamented  very  richly,  as  these  chambers  served  as  quar 
ters  for  General  La  Fayette,  who  was  here  in  the  month  of  April 
last.  Before  the  chambers,  the  whole  length  of  the  building, 
ran  a  gallery  with  very  large  windows,  which  being  raised  in 
summer,  change  the  gallery  into  an  airy  balcony:  an  arrange 
ment  which  I  had  remarked  to  exist  also  in  the  other  building^ 
where  the  courts  of  justice  sat. 

Hence  the  governor  next  conducted  me  to  the  old  Spanish  go 
vernment  house,  in  which  the  senators  and  representatives  of  the 
state  of  Louisiana  were  now  assembled.  The  building  is  ancient 
and  crazy,  otherwise  situated  in  a  handsome  spot  on  the  levee, 
surrounded  by  a  balcony.  There  is  nothing  more  done  for  the 
repair  of  this  building,  as  in  a  few  years  the  legislature  will  be 
removed  to  Donaldsonville.  The  reason  given  for  this  is,  that 
many  members  of  the  legislature  are  plain  people,  who  feel  em 
barrassed  in  New  Orleans,  and  hope  to  be  more  at  their  ease  in 
Donaldsonville.  The  office  of  the  governor  is  in  the  yard,  in  a 

*  [Commonly  known  in  New  Orleans  by  the  name  of  the  Calaboose,  (from 
Calabozo,  the  Spanish  term  for  a  vaulted  dungeon,)  and  a  great  terror  to  evil 
doers  in  that  city;  the  efficiency  of  the  police  of  which  can  never  be  enough 
admired.] — TIIANS. 

•j- 1  have  already  made  some  remarks  with  regard  to  the  apprehension  of  ne 
groes  in  Charleston.  If  a  person  wishes  here  to  have  a  house-negro,  male  or  fe 
male,  chastised,  they  are  sent  with  a  note,  in  which  the  number  of  lashes  which 
the  bearer  is  to  receive  are  specified,  with  a  quarter  of  a  dollar;  he  or  she  is 
lodged  in  the  slave  prison.  Here  the  slave  receives  the  punishment,  and  a  cer 
tificate,  which  he  must  carry  to  his  master.  The  maximum  of  lashes  is  thirty- 
nine,  according  to  the  Mosaic  law.  The  species  of  punishment  is  specified  as 
Charleston,  or  "aux  quatre piquets."  In  this  last  case,  the  poor  wretch  is 
a  out  flat  on  his  face  upon  the  earth,  and  his  hands  and  feet  bound  to 
tour  posts.  In  this  posture  he  receives  his  flogging.  This  frightful  method  of 
Cement,  is  principally  in  use  on  the  plantations;  and  cruel  discipline  is 
mere  chiefly  practised.  Whoever  wishes  to  punish  a  house  servant  severely, 
either  hires  or  sells  him  to  work  on  the  plantations. 


61 

small  house,  where  the  secretary  of  the  Spanish  governor  for 
merly  had  his  office. 

In  a  magazine  belonging  to  the  state,  there  arc  still  several  ar 
ticles  which  belonged  to  the  former  navy-yard,  and  which,  here 
after,  are  to  be  sent  to  Pensacola.  Among  these,  I  remarked 
brass  and  iron  cannon  of  various  calibres,  and  from  different 
countries,  English,  Spanish,  and  French.  There  were  some  an 
cient  ones  among  the  French,  with  beautiful  ornaments  and  in 
scriptions.  On  one  was,  "  ultima  ratio  regumf  on  others,  the 
darling  "  libertb,  egaliti.'*  These  pieces  were  found  in  the 
trifling  fortifications  that  formerly  surrounded  the  city,  when  the 
United  States  took  possession  of  Louisiana,  in  1803. 

During  the  last  of  January,  it  rained  uncommonly  hard  and 
steady.  The  streets  became  bottomless:  holes  formed  in  them, 
where  carriages  and  carts  were  in  constant  peril  of  upsetting.  At 
first  it  was  cold;  while  the  rain  continued,  there  followed  such  an 
oppressive  heat,  that  it  was  feared  an  earthquake  was  about  to 
take  place:  it  thundered  and  lightened  also  very  heavily. 

At  the  masked  balls,  each  paid  a  dollar  for  admission.  As  I 
visited  it  for  the  second  time,  I  observed,  however,  many  present 
by  free  tickets,  and  I  was  told  that  the  company  was  very  much 
mixed.  The  unmasked  ladies  belonging  to  good  society,  sat  in 
the  recesses  of  the  windows,  which  were  higher  than  the  saloon, 
and  furnished  with  galleries.  There  were  some  masks  in  cha 
racter,  but  none  worthy  of  remark.  Two  quarrels  took  place, 
which  commenced  in  the  ball-room  with  blows,  and  terminated 
in  the  vestibule,  with  pocket-pistols  and  kicking,  without  any  in 
terruption  from  the  police. 

On  the  same  evening,  what  was  called  a  quadroon  ball  took 
place.  A  quadroon  is  the  child  of  a  mestizo  mother  and  a  white 
father,  as  a  mestize  is  the  child  of  a  mulatto  mother  and  a  white 
father.  The  quadroons  are  almost  entirely  white:  from  their 
skin  no  one  would  detect  their  origin ;  nay  many  of  them  have 
as  fair  a  complexion  as  many  of  the  haughty  Creole  females. 
Such  of  them  as  frequent  these  balls  are  free.  Formerly  they 
were  known  by  their  black  hair  and  eyes,  but  at  present  there 
are  completely  fair  quadroon  males  and  females.  Still,  however, 
the  strongest  prejudice  reigns  against  them  on  account  of  their 
black  blood,  and  the  white  ladies  maintain,  or  affect  to  main 
tain,  the  most  violent  aversion  towards  them.  Marriage  between 
the  white  and  coloured  population  is  forbidden  by  the  law  of  the 
state.  As  the  quadroons  on  their  part  regard  the  negroes  and 
mulattoes  with  contempt,  and  will  not  mix  with  them,  so  no 
thing  remains  for  them  but  to  be  the  friends,  as  it  is  termed,  of 
the  white  men.  The  female  quadroon  looks  upon  such  an  en 
gagement  as  a  matrimonial  contract,  though  it  goes  no  farther 


62 

than  a  formal  contract  by  which  the  "friend"  engages  to  pay 
the  father  or  mother  of  the  quadroon  a  specified  sum.  The 
quadroons  both  assume  the  name  of  their  friends,  and  as  I  am 
assured  preserve  this  engagement  with  as  much  fidelity  as  ladies 
espoused  at  the  altar.  Several  of  these  girls  have  inherited  pro 
perty  from  their  fathers  or  friends,  and  possess  handsome  for 
tunes.  Notwithstanding  this,  their  situation  is  always  very  hu 
miliating.  They  cannot  drive  through  the  streets  in  a  carriage, 
and  their  "friends"  are  forced  to  bring  them  in  their  own  con 
veyances  after  dark  to  the  ball:  they  dare  not  sit  in  the  presence 
of  white  ladies,  and  cannot  enter  their  apartments  without  espe 
cial  permission.  The  whites  have  the  privilege  to  procure  these 
unfortunate  creatures  a  whipping  like  that  inflicted  on  slaves, 
upon  an  accusation,  proved  by  two  witnesses.  Several  of  these 
females  have  enjoyed  the  benefits  of  as  careful  an  education  as  most 
of  the  whites;  they  conduct  themselves  ordinarily  with  more 
propriety  and  decorum,  and  confer  more  happiness  on  their 
"friends,"  than  many  of  the  white  ladies  to  their  married  lords. 
Still,  the  white  ladies  constantly  speak  with  the  greatest  con 
tempt,  and  even  with  animosity,  of  these  unhappy  and  oppress 
ed  beings.  The  strongest  language  of  high  nobility  in  the  mo 
narchies  of  the  old  world,  cannot  be  more  haughty,  overween 
ing  or  contemptuous  towards  their  fellow  creatures,  than  the  ex 
pressions  of  the  Creole  females  with  regard  to  the  quadroons,  in 
one  of  the  much  vaunted  states  of  the  free  Union.  In  fact,  such 
comparison  strikes  the  mind  of  a  thinking  being  very  singularly! 
Many  wealthy  fathers,  on  account  of  the  existing  prejudices  send 
daughters  of  this  description  to  France,  where  these  girls  with  a 
good  education  and  property,  find  no  difficulty  in  forming  a  legi 
timate  establishment.  At  the  quadroon  ball,  only  coloured  ladies 
are  admitted,  the  men  of  that  caste,  be  it  understood,  are  shut 
out  by  the  white  gentlemen.  To  take  away  all  semblance  of 
vulgarity,  the  price  of  admission  is  fixed  at  two  dollars,  so  that 
only  persons  of  the  better  class  can  appear  there. 

As  a  stranger  in  my  situation  should  see  every  thing,  to  ac 
quire  a  knowledge  of  the  habits,  customs,  opinions  and  preju 
dices  of  the  people  he  is  among,  therefore  I  accepted  the  offer  oi" 
some  gentlemen  who  proposed  to  carry  me  to  this  quadroon  ball. 
And  1  must  avow  I  found  it  much  more  decent  than  the  masked 
ball.  The  coloured  ladies  were  under  the  eyes  of  their  mothers, 
they  were  well  and  gracefully  dressed,  and  conducted  themselves 
with  much  propriety  and  modesty.  Cotillions  and  waltzes  were 
danced,  and  several  of  the  ladies  performed  elegantly.  I  did  not 
remain  long  there  that  I  might  not  utterlydcstroy  my  standing  in 
New  Orleans,  but  returned  to  the  masked  ball  and  took  great  care 
not  to  disclose  to  the  white  ladies  where  I  had  been,  I  could  not 


63 

however  refrain  from  making  comparisons,  which  in  no  wise  re 
dounded  to  the  advantage  of  the  white  assembly.  As  soon  as  I 
entered  I  found  a  state  of  formality.  * 

At  the  end  of  January,  a  contagious  disorder  prevailed,  called 
the  varioloid.  It  was  said  to  be  a  species  of  small-pox,  and  was 
described  as  malignant  in  the  highest  degree.  Even  persons  who 
had  undergone  vaccination,  and  those  who  had  passed  through 
the  natural  small-pox,  were  attacked  by  this  disorder.  The  gar 
rison  lost  six  men,  of  whom  two  were  severely  marked.  The 
garrison  were  placed  in  the  barracks  to  preserve  them  from  this 
malady.  It  was  thought  that  it  was  imported  by  some  negro 
slaves  from  the  north.  Many  owners  of  slaves  in  the  states  of 
Maryland  and  Virginia  have  real — (pardon  the  loathsome  ex 
pression,  I  know  not  how  otherwise  to  designate  the  beastly  idea,) 
stud  nurseries  for  slaves,  whence  the  planters  of  Louisiana,  Mis 
sissippi,  and  the  other  southern  states  draw  their  supplies,  which 
increase  every  day  in  price.  Such  a  disease  as  the  varioloid  is 
a  fit  present,  in  return  for  slaves  thus  obtained !  t 

We  paid  the  late  governor  of  the  state,  Mr.  Robinson,  a  visit. 
It  gave  me  much  pleasure  to  cultivate  his  acquaintance.  Mr.  Ro 
binson  is  regarded  with  universal  respect,  and  I  met  in  him  . 
a  highly  interesting  and  well  informed  man,  who  converses- 
with  wit  and  spirit.  At  a  dinner,  given  by  the  acting  go 
vernor,  I  became  acquainted  with  the  former  governor  and 
militia  general  Villaret,  as  well  as  with  Dr.  Herman,  from 
Cassel,  who  was  employed  in  the  navy  of  the  United  States 
as  surgeon-general.  From  this  dinner  we  went  to  the  child's 
ball,  which  was  given  in  the  customary  ball  room  of  the  French 
theatre,  for  the  benefit  of  the  dancing  master.  Most  of  the  chil-* 
dren  were  quite  charming,  and  danced  very  prettily:  only  the 
little  girls  from  ten  to  eleven  years  of  age,  were  dressed  and 
tricked  off  like  full  grown  ladies.  About  eight  o'clock  the  little 
children  left  off  dancing  and  were  mostly  sent  home,  and  in  their 
place  the  larger  girls  resumed  the  dance.  The  costume  of  the 
ladies  was  very  elegant.  To  my  discomfiture,  however,  a  pair 

*  If  it  be  known  that  a  stranger,  who  has  pretensions  to  mix  with  good  so 
ciety,  frequents  such  balls  as  these,  he  may  rely  upon  a  cold  reception  from 
the  white  ladies. 

j-  [A  plain,  unvarnished  history  of  the  internal  slave  trade  carried  on  in  this 
country,  would  shock  and  disgust  the  reader  to  a  degree  that  would  almost 
render  him  ashamed  to  acknowledge  himself  a  member  of  the  same  community. 
In  unmanly  and  degrading  barbarity,  wanton  cruelty,  and  horrible  iridiffer- 
ence  to  every  human  emotion,  facts  could  be  produced  worthy  of  association 
with  whatever  is  recorded  of  the  slave  trade  in  any  other  form.  One  of  these 
internal  slave  traders  has  built,  in  a  neighbouring  city,  a  range  of  private  pri 
sons,  fronting  the  main  road  to  Washington,  in  which  he  collects  his  cattle  pre 
vious  to  sending  oft'  a  caravan  to  the  south.  The  voice  of  lamentation  is  sel 
dom  stilled  within  these  accursed  walls.]  TIIANS. 


64 

of  tobacco-chewing  gentlemen  engaged  me  in  conversation,  from 
which  I  received  such  a  sensation  of  disgust,  that  I  was  nearly 
in  the  situation  of  one  sea-sick. 

On  the  1st  of  February,  to  my  great  sorrow,  the  brave  Colonel 
Wool,  who  had  become  exceedingly  dear  and  valuable  to  me,  took 
leave.  I  accompanied  him  to  his  steam-boat,  which  departed  at 
eleven  o'clock,  and  gazed  after  him  for  a  long  time. 

I  paid  a  visit  to  the  bishop  of  Louisiana,  Mr.  Dubourg,  and 
was  very  politely  received.  He  is  a  Jesuit,  a  native  of  St.  Do 
mingo,  and  appears  to  be  about  sixty  years  old.  He  delivers  him 
self  very  well,  and  conversed  with  me  concerning  the  disturb 
ances  in  the  diocese  of  Ghent,  in  the  time  of  the  Prince  Broglio, 
in  which  he,  as  friend  and  counsellor  of  that  prince,  whom  he 
accompanied  in  his  progress  through  his  diocese,  took  an  active 
part.  In  his  chamber,  I  saw  a  very  fine  portrait  of  Pope  Pius 
VII.  a  copy  of  one  painted  by  Camuccini,  and  given  by  the  pope 
to  the  deceased  duke  of  Saxe-Gotha.  The  bishop  inhabited  a 
quondam  nunnery,  the  greater  part  of  which  he  had  assigned  for, 
and  established  as  a  school  for  boys.  The  bishop  returned  my 
visit  on  the  next  day. 

.  At  a  dinner,  which  Mr.  Grymes  gave  with  the  greatest  display 
of  magnificence,  after  the  second  course,  large  folding  doors  open 
ed  and  we  beheld  another  dining  room,  in  which  stood  a  table 
with  the  dessert.  We  withdrew  from  the  first  table,  and  seated 
ourselves  at  the  second,  in  the  same  order  in  which  we  had  par 
taken  of  the  first.  As  the  variety  of  wines  began  to  set  the 
tongues  of  the  guests  at  liberty,  the  ladies  rose,  retired  to  another 
apartment,  and  resorted  to  music  for  amusement.  Some  of  the 
gentlemen  remained  with  the  bottle,  while  others,  among  whom 
I  was  one,  followed  the  ladies,  and  regaled  ourselves  with  har 
mony.  We  had  waltzing  until  ten  o'clock,  when  we  went  to  the 
masquerade  in  the  theatre  of  St.  Phillip's  street,  a  small  building, 
in  which,  at  other  times,  Spanish  dramas  were  exhibited.  The 
female  company  consisted  of  quadroons,  who,  however,  were 
masked.  Several  of  them  addressed  me,  and  coquetted  with  me 
some  time,  in  the  most  subtle  and  amusing  manner. 

A  young  lawyer  from  Paris,  of  the  name  of  Souliez,  paid  me 
a  visit.  He  was  involved  in  unpleasant  circumstances  in  his  na 
tive  country,  on  account  of  some  liberal  publications  which  he 
had  made  against  the  Jesuits  in  the  newspapers.  On  this  account, 
he,  full  of  liberal  ideas,  had  left  his  home,  and  gone  to  Hayti, 
with  recommendatory  letters  from  bishop  Gregoire  to  President 
Boyer.  There,  however,  he  found  the  state  of  things  widely  dif 
ferent  from  what  he  had  fancied  them  at  home.  The  consequence 
was,  he  had  come  to  the  United  States,  and  he  now  candidly  con 
fessed  that  he  was  completely  cured  of  his  fine  dreams  of  liberty. 


65 

Dr.  Herman  gave  a  dinner,  at  which  were  more  than  twenty 
guests.  Among  them  were  the  governor,  Colonel  Croghan,  and  se 
veral  of  the  public  characters  here.  Mr.  Bowdoin,  who  was  slowly 
recovering  from  his  gout,  and  Count  Vidua,  were  also  there. 
Except  our  hostess  there  was  no  lady  present.  Mrs.  Herman,  a 
very  beautiful  young  woman,  was  very  unwell,  and  obliged  to 
leave  the  table  soon.  The  dinner  was  very  splendid. 

We  crossed  the  Mississippi  in  a  boat,  like  a  small  chest,  such 
a  boat  is  styled  a  "  ferry-boat. "  This  was  the  only  stated  means 
of  communication  supported  between  the  city  and  the  right  bank. 
Formerly  there  was  a  steam  ferry-boat,  and  afterwards  a  horse- 
boat,  but  neither  the  one  nor  the  other  could  be  supported  by  the 
business.  The  stream  is  nearly  three-fourths  of  a  mile  broad. 
Arrived  on  the  right  bank,  we  found  a  little  inconsiderable  place 
called  Macdonaldville,  that  did  not  appear  very  thriving.  Along 
the  bank  runs  a  levee,  to  protect  the  land  from  inundation.  Se 
veral  vessels  are  laid  up  here.  The  country  is  exceedingly  level, 
and  is  composed  of  swampy  meadows,  and  in  the  back  ground, 
of  forest,  partly  of  live  oaks,  which  is  much  concealed,  however, 
by  long  ugly  moss.  Farther  inward  is  a  sugar  plantation  be 
longing  to  Baron  Marigny.  The  river  makes  a  remarkable  bend 
opposite  New  Orleans,  and  the  city,  with  its  white  spires,  and 
crowds  of  vessels  lying  in  the  stream,  looks  uncommonly  well 
from  the  right  bank. 

General  Villaret  invited  us  to  dinner  at  his  country-house, 
which  is  eight  miles  distant  from  New  Orleans,  and  had  the  po 
liteness  to  bring  us  in  his  carriage.  At  half  past  eleven  o'clock, 
I  went  out  with  Count  Vidua,  and  Mr.  Huygens.  The  habita 
tion,  as  the  mansion-houses  lying  in  a  sugar  plantation  are  term 
ed,  is  upon  the  left  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  about  a  short  mile 
from  the  river.  In  December,  1814,  it  served  the  English  army 
for  head  quarters.  The  road  to  it  led  along  the  levee,  past  country 
houses,  which  succeeded  each  other  rapidly  for  five  miles.  Seve 
ral  display  the  comfort  and  good  taste  of  their  owners.  The 
mansion-house,  commonly,  is  situated  about  one  hundred  paces 
from  the  entrance,  and  an  avenue  of  laurel  trees,  which  are  cut 
in  a  pyramidical  form,  and  pride  of  China  trees,  leads  to  the  door. 
The  most  of  these  houses  are  two  stories  high,  and  are  surrounded 
with  piazzas  and  covered  galleries.  Back  of  the  elegant  mansion- 
house  stand  the  negro  cabins,  like  a  camp,  and  behind  the  sugar 
cane  fields,  which  extend  to  the  marshy  cypress  woods  about  a 
mile  back,  called  the  cypress  swamp.  Among  these  country- 
houses  is  a  nunnery  of  Ursulines,  the  inhabitants  of  which  are 
employed  in  the  education  of  female  youth. 

Five  miles  from  the  city  we  reached  the  former  plantation  of 
McCarthy,  now  belonging  to  Mr.  Montgomery,  in  which  Gene- 

VOL.  II.  9 


66 

ral  Jackson  had  his  head  quarters.  About  one  hundred  paces 
farther,  commences  the  right  of  the  line,  to  the  defence  of  which 
this  general  owes  his  great  renown.  I  left  the  carriage  here,  and 
went  along  the  remainder  of  the  line,  at  most  a  mile  in  length, 
with  the  right  wing  on  the  river,  and  the  left  resting  on  the  cy 
press  swamp. 

The  English  landed  in  Lake  Borgne,  which  is  about  three  miles 
distant  from  General  Villaret's  dwelling.  On  the  23d  of  Decem 
ber,  a  company  of  soldiers  attacked  this  house,  and  took  two  of 
the  general's  sons  prisoners.  The  third  of  his  sons  escaped,  and 
brought  to  General  Jackson,  whose  head  quarters  were  at  that 
time  in  the  city,  the  intelligence  of  the  landing  and  progress 
of  the  British.  Immediately  the  alarm  guns  were  fired,  and  the 
general  marched  with  the  few  troops  and  militia  under  his  com 
mand,  not  two  thousand  ifi,  number,  against  the  habitation  of  Vil- 
laret.  The  English  had  established  themselves  here,  with  the 
intent  to  attack  the  city  directly,  which  was  without  the  least  pro 
tection.  The  general  advanced  along  the  line  of  the  woods,  and 
nearly  surprised  the  English.  He  would  probably  have  captured 
them,  if  he  had  had  time  to  despatch  a  few  riflemen  through  the  ge 
nerally  passable  cypress  swamp  to  the  right  wing:  and  had  not  the 
night  come  on,  and  a  sudden  fog  also  prevented  it.  He  judged 
it  more  prudent  to  fall  back,  and  stationed  his  troops  at  the  nar 
rowest  point  between  the  river  and  the  cypress  swamp,  while  he 
took  up  his  head  quarters  in  the  habitation  of  McCarthy. 

There  was  a  small  ditch  in  front  of  his  line,  and  on  the  next 
day  some  young  men  of  the  militia  commenced,  on  their  own 
motion,  to  throw  up  a  little  breast-work,  with  the  spades  and 
shovels  they  found  in  the  habitation.  This  suggested  to  the  ge 
neral  the  idea  of  forming  a  line  here.  This  line  was,  however, 
the  very  feeblest  an  engineer  could  have  devised,  that  is,  a  strait 
one.  There  was  not  sufficient  earth  to  make  the  breast  work  of 
the  requisite  height  and  strength,  since,  if  the  ground  here  was 
dug  two  feet,  water  flowed  out.  To  remedy  this  evil  in  some 
measure,  a  number  of  cotton  bales  were  brought  from  the  ware 
houses  of  the  city,  and  the  breast- work  was  strengthened  by  them. 
Behind  these  bales  artillery  was  placed,  mostly  ship's  cannon, 
and  they  endeavoured,  by  a  redoubt  erected  on  the  right  wing  at 
the  levee,  to  render  it  more  susceptible  of  defence;  especially 
as  no  tune  was  to  be  lost,  and  the  offensive  operations  of  the 
British  were  daily  perceptible;  still  the  defensive  preparations 
which  General  Jackson  could  effect  were  very  imperfect.  The 
English  force  strengthened  itself  constantly,  they  threw  up  bat- 

ics,  widened  the  canal  leading  from  Villaret's  to  Lake  Borgne, 
3  to  admit  their  boats  into  the  Mississippi,  and  covered  this 
canal  by  several  detached  entrenchments 


67 

A  cannonade  was  maintained  by  their  batteries  for  several  days 
on  the  American  line,  but  they  could  not  reach  it,  and  had  seve 
ral  of  their  own  pieces  dismounted  by  the  well-directed  fire  of 
the  American  artillery.  Finally,  on  the  8th  of  January,  after 
General  Jackson  had  time  to  procure  reinforcements,  of  which 
the  best  were  the  volunteer  riflemen  of  Tennessee,  who  were  dis 
tributed  along  the  line,  well  covered  by  the  cotton  bales,  and  each 
of  which  had  one  or  two  men  behind  him,  to  load  the  rifles, 
the  English  commenced  storming  the  line,  under  Sir  Edward 
Packenham's  personal  direction.  The  soil  in  front  of  the  line 
consisted  of  perfectly  level  cane  fields,  which  had  been  cut  down, 
not  a  single  tree  or  bush  was  to  be  found.  The  unfortunate  Eng 
lishmen,  whose  force  in  the  field  was  reckoned  at  from  eight  to 
ten  thousand  men,  were  obliged  to  advance  without  any  shelter, 
and  remain  a  long  time,  first  under  the  fire  of  the  well-directed 
cannon,  afterwards  under  the  fire  of  the  rifles  and  small  arms  of 
the  Americans,  without  being  able  to  effect  any  thing  in  return 
against  them.  The  first  attack  was  made  upon  the  left  wing  of 
the  line.  The  British  did  not  reach  the  ditch,  but  began  soon  to 
give  way.  Sir  Edward  attempted  to  lead  them  on  again;  a  cannon- 
shot,  however,  killed  his  horse  and  wounded  him  in  both  legs. 
The  soldiers  carried  him  off,  but  he  unluckily  received  some  rifle 
shots,  that  put  an  end  to  his  life,  having  five  balls  in  his  body. 
The  Major-generals  Gibbs  and  Keane  were  struck  at  the  same 
time,  the  first  killed  and  the  latter  mortally  wounded.  By  this 
the  troops,  who  had  continually  supported  a  most  murderous  fire, 
were  at  length  obliged  completely  to  give  way.  Major-general 
Lambert,  who  commanded  the  reserve,  and  upon  whom  also  at 
this  period  the  whole  command  of  the  army  devolved,  made  a 
last  attempt  to  force  the  line.  He  led  his  troops  in  a  run  upon 
the  batture,  between  the  levee  and  the  river,  (which  at  that  time 
was  very  low,)  against  the  right  wing  of  the  line,  where  the  small 
redoubt  was  placed,  stormed,  and  took  possession  of  it,  but  was 
forced,  by  the  well-supported  fire  of  the  riflemen  behind  the  line, 
to  evacuate  it  again.  The  English  colonel  of  engineers,  Rennee, 
met  with  a  glorious  death,  upon  the  breast-work,  in  this  affair. 
After  this  unsuccessful  attempt,  the  English  retreated  to  their 
entrenchments  at  Villaret's,  and  in  a  few  days  re-embarked. 

During  the  failure  of  this  principal  attack,  the  English  had 
conveyed  eight  hundred  men  to  the  right  shore  of  the  river,  who 
gained  some  advantages  there  against  insignificant  entrenchments. 
These  advantages,  when  they  heard  of  the  bad  results  of  the  main 
attack,  they  were  obliged  to  abandon,  and  to  return  to  the  left 
bank.  Had  the  storm  of  the  right  wing,  and  the  feigned  assault 
on  the  left  been  successful,  in  all  probability  General  Jackson 
would  have  been  obliged  to  evacuate  not  only  his  lines,  but  the 


68 

city  itself.  Providence  surely  took  the  city  under  its  protection; 
for  the  English  were  promised  the  plunder  of  New  Orleans  in 
case  of  success,  as  was  asserted  in  that  city:  General  Jackson 
moreover  had  given  orders,  in  case  of  his  retreat,  not  only  to 
blow  up  the  powder  magazine  of  the  city  on  the  right  bank,  but 
to  destroy  the  public  buildings,  and  set  the  city  on  fire  at  the  four 
corners.  The  general  himself  so  fully  recognized  the  hand  of 
Providence  in  the  event,  that  on  the  day  after  his  victory,  he  ex 
pressed  himself  to  Bishop  Dubourg  thus:  that  he  knew  the  city 
owed  its  preservation  to  a  merciful  Providence  alone,  and  that 
his  first  step  should  be  on  his  return  to  the  city,  to  thank  God  in 
his  temple  for  the  victory  so  wonderfully  obtained.  The  bishop 
immediately  gave  directions  for  a  thanksgiving,  and  it  was  unani 
mously  celebrated  with  a  sincere  feeling  of  gratitude. 

From  the  battle  ground  to  General  Villaret's  dwelling,  we  had 
three  miles  still  to  go  over.  For  some  days  back,  we  had  dry 
weather,  and  the  road,  which  after  a  hard  rain,  must  be  bottom 
less,  was  on  that  account,  hard  and  good.  The  Mississippi  has 
the  peculiarity  possessed  by  several  streams  in  Holland,  of  chang 
ing  its  bed.  The  house  of  General  Villaret,  was  once  much 
nearer  the  river;  for  some  years,  however,  it  has  inclined  so 
much  to  the  right,  that  it  constantly  wears  away  the  soil  there, 
while  it  forms  new  deposits  to  the  left.  The  general's  posses 
sions  are  therefrom  increased,  and  that  with  very  good  soil.  The 
visit  of  the  English  nearly  ruined  the  general.  Their  landing  on 
this  side  was  so  entirely  unexpected,  that  he,  being  employed  in 
collecting  the  militia  in  the  districts  above  the  city,  had  not  been 
able  to  remove  the  least  of  his  property.  The  English  took  all 
the  cattle  away,  as  well  as  above  sixty  negroes.  There  has  not 
been  any  intelligence  of  what  was  the  fate  of  these  negroes,  pro 
bably  they  were  sold  in  the  West  Indies.  All  the  fences,  bridges, 
and  negro  cabins  were  destroyed.  The  mansion-house  was  only 
spared,  as  it  was  occupied  as  head-quarters.  The  youngest  son 
of  the  general,  between  thirteen  and  fourteen  years  old,  was 
obliged  to  remain  in  the  house  the  whole  time  it  was  retained, 
and  was  very  well  treated  by  the  English  generals  and  officers. 
As  the  English  were  on  the  point  of  re-embarking,  General  Lam 
bert  gave  young  Villaret  four  hundred  dollars  in  silver  to  carry 
to  his  father,  as  indemnification  for  the  cattle  carried  off.  The 
young  man  went  to  the  city,  and  delivered  the  money  to  his 
father.  General  Villaret  requested  General  Jackson  to  send  a 
nag  of  truce  on  board  the  English  fleet,  to  carry  the  money  back 
to  General  Lambert,  with  a  letter  from  General  Villaret.  This 
was  done,  but  the  general  never  received  an  answer. 

The  removal  of  the  negroes  was  a  severe  stroke  for  the  Gene 
ral,  from  which,  as  he  told  me  himself,  it  cost  him  much  trouble 


69 

gradually  to  recover.  The  canal  or  bayou,  which  ran  from  his 
plantation  to  Lake  Borgne,  was  shut  up  by  order  of  General  Jack 
son  after  the  retreat  of  the  English,  and  there  were  not  labourers 
sufficient  left  with  General  Villaret  to  reinstate  it;  it  was  of 
great  importance  to  him  for  the  conveyance  of  wood  and  other 
necessaries. 

We  found  at  the  general's,  his  sons,  his  son-in-law,  Mr.  La- 
voisne,  and  several  gentlemen  from  the  city,  among  them  Go 
vernor  Johnson.  We  took  some  walks  in  the  adjacent  grounds. 
The  house  was  not  very  large,  and  was  not  very  much  ornament 
ed,  for  reasons  already  mentioned.  Behind  it  was  a  brick  sugar- 
boiling  house,  and  another  one  for  the  sugar  mill.  Near  that  was 
a  large  yard,  with  stables  and  neat  negro  cabins  for  the  house- 
servants.  The  huts  of  the  field  slaves  were  removed  farther  off. 
The  whole  is  surrounded  by  cane  fields,  of  which  some  were  then 
brought  in,  and  others  all  cut  down.  A  field  of  this  description 
must  rest  fallow  for  five  years,  and  be  manured,  before  being 
again  set  out  in  plants.  For  manure,  a  large  species  of  bean  is 
sown,  which  is  left  to  rot  in  the  field,  and  answers  the  purpose 
very  well.  The  cane  is  commonly  cut  in  December,  and  brought 
to  the  mill.  These  mills  consists  of  three  iron  cylinders,  which 
stand  upright,  the  centre  one  of  which  is  put  in  motion  by  a 
horse-mill  underneath,  so  as  to  turn  the  other  by  crown-wheels. 
The  cane  is  shoved  in  between  these,  and  must  pass  twice  through 
to  be  thoroughly  squeezed  out.  The  fresh  juice  thus  pressed  out, 
runs  through  a  groove  into  a  reservoir.  From  this  it  is  drawn 
off  into  the  kettles,  in  which  it  is  boiled,  to  expel  the  watery 
part  by  evaporation.  There  are  three  of  these  kettles  close  to 
gether,  so  as  to  pour  the  juice  when  it  boils  from  one  to  the  other, 
and  thus  facilitate  the  evaporation  of  the  water.  The  boiling  in 
these  kettles  lasts  one  hour;  one  set  gives  half  a  hogshead  of 
brown  sugar.  In  several  of  the  plantations  there  is  a  steam-en 
gine  employed  in  place  of  the  horse-power:  the  general's  misfor 
tunes  have  not  yet  permitted  him  to  incur  this  expense. 

After  dinner  we  walked  in  the  yard,  where  we  remarked  se 
veral  Guinea  fowls,  which  are  common  here,  a  pair  of  Mexican 
pheasants,  and  a  tame  fawn.  Before  the  house  stood  a  number 
of  lofty  nut-trees,  called  peccan  trees.  At  the  foot  of  one,  Sir 
Edward  Packenham's  bowels  are  interred;  his  body  was  em 
balmed  and  sent  to  England.  In  the  fields  there  are  numbers  of 
English  buried,  and  a  place  was  shown  to  me  where  forty  officers 
alone  were  laid.  We  took  leave  of  our  friendly  host  at  sundown, 
and  returned  to  the  city. 

On  Shrove  Tuesday,  all  the  ball-rooms  in  the  city  were  open 
ed.  I  went  to  the  great  masked  ball  in  the  French  theatre.  The 
price  of  admission  was  raised  to  two  dollars  for  a  gentleman,  and 


70 

one  dollar  for  a  lady.  There  was  dancing,  not  only  in  the  ball 
room,  but  also  in  the  theatre  itself,  and  on  this  occasion,  the  par 
terre  was  raised  to  a  level  with  the  stage.  The  illumination  of 
the  house  was  very  good,  and  presented  a  handsome  view.  Many 
of  the  ladies  were  in  masks,  and  intrigued  as  well  as  they  were 
able.  I  could  not  restrain  my  curiosity,  and  visited  the  quadroon 
ball  in  the  theatre  of  St.  Philippe.  It  however  was  too  late  when 
I  arrived  there,  many  of  the  ladies  had  left  the  ball,  and  the  gen 
tlemen,  a  motly  society,  were  for  the  most  part  drunk.  This  be 
ing  the  case,  I  returned  after  a  quarter  of  an  hour  to  the  princi 
pal  ball.  But  here  too,  some  gentlemen  had  dipped  too  deep  in 
the  glass,  and  several  quarrels  with  fists  and  canes  took  place. 
The  police  is  not  strict  enough  here  to  prevent  gentlemen  from 
bringing  canes  with  them  to  balls.  The  balls  continue  through 
lent,  when  they  are  but  little  frequented. 

On  the  12th  of  February  the  intelligence  of  the  death  of  the 
Emperor  Alexander  was  spread  abroad,  which  had  been  received 
by  the  ship  Mogul,  yesterday  arrived  from  Liverpool,  and  by 
London  gazettes  of  the  24th  of  December.  I  could  not  believe 
this  to  be  a  fact,  and  betook  myself  to  the  office  of  one  of  the 
public  papers.  I  was  here  given  the  English  gazette  to  read, 
and  I  found,  to  my  no  small  terror,  the  detailed  account  of  this 
sorrowful  event.  Consternation  entered  into  my  mind,  on  reflect 
ing  what  effect  this  must  have  produced  in  Weimar,  and  increas 
ed  my  troubled  state  of  feeling ! 

The  volunteer  battalion  of  artillery  of  this  place  is  a  handsome 
corps,  uniformed  as  the  artillery  of  the  old  French  guard.  It  is 
above  one  hundred  men  strong,  and  presents  a  very  military 
front.  This  corps  manoeuvred  about  half  an  hour  in  the  square 
before  the  cathedral,  and  then  marched  to  the  City  Hall,  to  re 
ceive  a  standard.  Upon  the  right  wing  of  the  battalion,  a  detach 
ment  of  flying  artillery  was  placed.  The  corps  had  done  essen 
tial  service  on  the  Sth  of  January,  1815,  in  the  defence  of  the 
line,  and  stands  here  in  high  respect. 

About  four  milesbelow  the  city  Mr.  Grymes  has  a  country-seat, 
or  habitation.  The  house  is  entirely  new,  and  situated  on  a  piece 
of  ground  formerly  employed  as  a  sugar-cane  field.  The  new 
plantings  made  in  the  garden,  consisted  of  young  orange-trees 
and  magnolias.  Behind  the  house  is  an  artificial  hill,  with  a 
temple  upon  it,  and  within  the  hill  itself,  a  grotto,  arranged  arti 
ficially  with  shells.  At  the  entrance  stands  a  banana  tree,  and 
this,  with  several  creeping  plants,  will  conceal  it  very  well  in 
summer.  I  observed  in  the  garden  several  singular  heaps  of 
earth,  which  are  hollow  within,  and  stand  over  a  hole  in  the 
ground.  They  are  said  to  be  formed  by  a  species  of  land-crab, 
for  their  residence.  If  a  stone  be  thrown  into  the  hole,  you  hear 


71 

that  it  immediately  falls  into  water.  Generally,  in  this  country, 
you  cannot  dig  more  than  a  foot  deep  in  the  earth,  without  meet 
ing  water. 

It  was  pure  curiosity  that  carried  me  a  third  time  to  the  mas 
querade,  in  St.  Philippe's  theatre.  It  was,  however,  no  more 
agreeable  than  the  one  eight  days  previous.  There  were  but  few 
masks;  and  among  the  tobacco-chewing  gentry,  several  Spanish 
visages  slipped  about,  who  carried  sword-canes,  and  seemed  to 
have  no  good  design  in  carrying  them.  Some  of  these  visiters 
were  intoxicated,  and  there  appeared  a  willing  disposition  for 
disturbance.  The  whole  aspect  was  that  of  a  den  of  ruffians. 
I  did  not  remain  here  a  half  hour,  and  learned  next  day  that 
I  was  judicious  in  going  home  early,  as  later,  battles  with  canes 
and  dirks  had  taken  place.  Twenty  persons  were  more  or  less 
dangerously  wounded! 

It  rained  very  frequently  during  the  first  half  of  the  month  of 
February;  in  the  middle  it  was  warm,  and  for  a  time,  about  the 
20th,  an  oppressive  heat  prevailed,  which  made  me  quite  lethar 
gic,  and  operated  equally  unpleasantly  on  every  one.  Indeed  a 
real  sirocco  blew  at  this  time.  It  surprised  me  very  much,  that 
with  such  extraordinary  weather,  not  at  all  uncommon  here,  that 
there  should  be  so  many  handsome,  healthy,  and  robust  children. 
This  climate,  so  unhealthy,  and  almost  mortal  to  strangers,  seems 
to  produce  no  injurious  effect  upon  the  children  born  here. 

In  the  vacant  space,  where  the  walls  of  New  Orleans  formerly 
stood,  are  at  present  the  Esplanade  rue  des  Remparts,  and  rue 
du  canal.  The  city  proper  forms  a  parallelogram,  and  was 
once  surrounded  by  a  palisade  and  a  ditch.  At  each  of  the  four 
corners  stood  a  redoubt.  The  last  of  these  redoubts,  which  stood 
at  the  entrance  of  the  Fauxbourg  Marigny,  was  demolished  only 
since  the  last  war.  It  would  be  important  for  the  security  of  the 
present  inhabitants,  to  have  a  fortress  on  the  bank  of  the  river, 
so  that  in  case  of  an  insurrection  of  the  negroes,  not  only  the 
trifling  garrison,  but  the  white  women  and  children  should  pos 
sess  a  place  of  refuge,  which  is  now  totally  wanting.  The  ditch 
is  filled  up,  and  planted  with  trees;  there  are  no  buildings  newly 
erected  here,  and  these  open  spaces  are  the  worst  parts  of  the 
city. 

On  the  night  of  the  22d  of  February,  the  alarm  bell  was 
sounded :  a  fire  had  broken  out  in  the  warehouse  of  a  merchant. 
There  was  time  to  save  every  thing,  even  the  wooden  building 
was  not  consumed,  but  in  the  course  of  two  hours  the  fire  was 
extinguished. 

On  the  same  day,  was  celebrated  the  birth  of  the  great  Wash 
ington.  All  the  vessels  lying  in  the  river  were  adorned  with 
flags,  and  fired  salutes.  The  volunteer  legion  of  Louisiana  was 


72 

called  out  in  full  uniform,  to  fire  volleys  in  honour  of  the  day. 
The  artillery  before  mentioned,  which  gave  thirteen  discharges 
from  two  pieces,  distinguished  themselves  again  by  their  excel 
lent  discipline.  The  infantry  was  very  weak,  not  exceeding 
fifty  men,  with  a  most  monstrous  standard.  A  company  of 
riflemen  of  thirty  men,  who  had  done  good  service  on  the  8th  of 
January,  1815,  appeared  very  singular  in  their  costume:  it  con 
sisted  of  a  sky-blue  frock  and  pantaloons,  with  white  fringe 
and  borders,  and  fur  hoods.  This  legion  was  established  in 
the  last  war,  and  considering  itself  independent  of  the  militia, 
it  has  clothed  itself  after  the  French  taste,  and  is  officered  by 
Frenchmen. 

In  the  evening  there  was  a  subscription  ball,  in  the  ball-room 
of  the  French  theatre.  This  ball  was  given  also,  on  account  of 
the  festival  celebrated  this  day.  In  former  years,  each  person 
had  subscribed  ten  dollars  for  this  ball;  the  saloon  had  been 
decorated  with  Washington's  portrait,  and  "a  number  of  standards, 
and  a  splendid  supper  spread  for  the  ladies.  This  year  the  sub 
scription  had  been  reduced  td^three  dollars  for  a  ticket,  and 
hardly,  filled  up  at  that  price.  It  was  attempted  to  be  accounted 
for,  by  the  critical  juncture  of  commercial  affairs,  in  which 
the  city  was  placed  ;  the  true  cause,  however,  might  be  traced  to 
the  incomprehensible  want  of  attachment  among  the  Creoles  to 
the  United  States.  Although  the  city  of  New  Orleans,  and  the 
whole  state  of  Louisiana,  has  benefited  extremely  by  its  union 
with  the  United  States,  and  daily  increases;  yet  the  Creoles  ap 
pear  rather  to  wish  their  country  should  be  a  French  colony, 
than  annexed  to  the  Union.  From  their  conversations,  one  would 
conclude  that  they  do  not  regard  the  Americans  as  their  coun 
trymen.  This  aversion  certainly  will  lessen,  as  the  better  part 
of  the  young  people  acquire  their  scientific  education  in  the 
northern  states;  at  this  moment,  however,  it  is  very  powerful. 
Under  this  state  of  things,  Mr.  Davis,  the  manager  of  the 
French  theatre,  the  balls,  and  several  gaming  houses,  announced 
a  masked  ball,  atone  dollar  admission,  for  Washington's  birth- 
night.  The  young  ladies,  however,  to  whom  a  subscription  ball 
was  in  anticipation,  and  on  account  of  it  had  prepared  a  fresh  set. 
of  ornaments,  to  assist  their  toilet,  felt  themselves  exceedingly 
disappointed  by  this  arrangement;  as  there  would  be  a  very 
mixed  company  at  the  masked  ball,  and  they  would  not  be  able 
to  distinguish  themselves  by  individual  ornament.  For  this 
reason,  their  parents  and  relations  had  exerted  themselves,  and 
happily  brought  it  to  pass,  that  instead  of  a  ticket  ball,  there 
should  be  one  by  subscription.  In  fact,  this  ball  was  very 
splendid,  so  far  as  the  dress  of  the  ladies  contributed  thereto. 
Moreover,  no  battles  took  place. 


73 

In  the  neighbourhood  of  the  city,  some  Choctaw  Indians  hunt 
ed,  and  lived  a  wandering  life.  They  frequently  resorted  to  the 
city  to  sell  the  produce  of  their  hunting,  also  canes,  palmetto 
baskets,  and  many  other  articles.  The  money  for  these  was 
afterwards  consumed  in  liquor.  They  are  of  very  dark  colour, 
have  coats  made  of  woollen  blankets;  wear  mocassins,  and  un 
dressed  leather  leggings,  necklaces  of  checkered  glass  beads, 
with  a  large  shell  in  the  form  of  a  collar,  silver  rings  in  the  nose 
and  ears,  and  smooth  copper  rings  on  the  wrists.  The  children 
until  four  years  old  are  quite  naked;  only  wearing  mocassins, 
leggings,  and  the  rings  round  the  wrists. 

In  a  tavern  on  the  Levee,  there  was  a  collection  of  fossil  bones, 
which  had  been  dug  out  of  a  swamp,  not  far  from  the  mouth  of  the 
Mississippi,  the  preceding  year,  and  must  have  belonged  to  a  co 
lossal  amphibious  animal.  The  single  piece  of  the  spine  remain 
ing  appeared  to  be  that  of  a  whale;  a  single  rib  however,  also  found, 
was  too  much  curved  ever  to  have  been  the  rib  of  a  whale.  The 
largest  piece  of  those  that  were  dug  up,  appeared  to  be  a  jaw 
bone.  Unfortunately  I  understand  too  little  of  these  things,  to 
be  able  to  venture  upon  a  description  of  these  remarkable  remains 
of  an  apparently  antideluvian  animal ;  certainly  it  would  be  worth 
the  trouble  of  having  them  examined  and  described  by  a  scientific 
person.  Two  of  the  bones  appeared  to  have  belonged  to  the 
legs,  and  from  these  alone,  some  would  determine,  that  the  ani 
mal  was  a  crocodile.  I  was  informed  at  this  time — I  say,  with 
Herodotus,  that  I  only  tell  now  what  others  have  told  me,  and 
perhaps  some  one  may  either  believe  it,  or  know  it, — I  was  told 
that  a  perfect  skeleton  of  a  mammoth  was  collected  many  years 
ago  in  one  of  the  meadows,  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  not 
far  from  its  mouth,  and  was  conveyed  to  London,  and  that  very 
old  inhabitants  had  heard  as  a  tradition  from  their  ancestors,  that 
this  mammoth  had  been  thrown  ashore  by  the  sea,  part  rotted, 
and  in  part  was  devoured  by  the  buzzards. 

There  is  no  particular  market  day  in  New  Orleans,  as  in  other 
places,  but  every  morning  market  is  open  for  all  kinds  of  vege 
tables,  fruits,  game,  &c.  This  market  is  very  well  provided  on 
Sunday,  as  the  slaves  have  permission  to  offer  ,for  sale  on  this 
day  all  they  desire  to  dispose  of. 

I  visited  Captain  Harney  of  the  first  regiment  of  infantry,  who 
in  the  year  1825,  as  lieutenant  to  General  Atkinson,  had  accom 
panied  the  expedition  to  Yellow  Stone  river,  and  had  brought 
back  with  him  several  of  the  curiosities  of  those  western  regions, 
so  little  known.  These  curiosities  consisted  of  a  variety  of  skins 
of  bears,  for  example,  of  the  grizzled  bear,  also  skins  of  buffalo, 
foxes,  of  a  white  wolf,  (which  is  a  great  rarity,)  of  a  porcupine,. 

VOL.  II.  10 


74 

whose  quills  are  much  shorter  than  those  of  the  African  species, 
:iml  of  wild  cats.  Besides  these,  Mr.  Harney  has  procured 
pieces  of  Indian  habiliments,  coats  and  leggings  made  of  deer 
vskin.  The  warriors  among  these  Indians  wear  the  mark  of  their 
dignity — the  scalps — on  the  leggings,  those  of  the  inferior  grade 
on  one  leg,  those  higher,  on  hoth.  The  coats  are  made  with 
a  checkered  sewing,  ornamented  partly  with  glass  beads,  and 
partly  with  split  porcupine  quills.  The  Indian  women,  who  are 
designated  by  the  universal  name  of  squaw,  work  these  ornaments 
very  ingeniously.  Mr.  Harney  showed  me  also  a  quiver  made 
of  cougar's  skin  with  different  sorts  of  arrows,  a  bow  of  elk's 
horn,  strung  with  tendons  drawn  from  the  elk;  several  tobacco 
pipes,  with  heads  of  serpentine  stone,  of  which  I  had  seen  some 
on  Lake  Ontario  already,  hunting  pouches,  a  head  dress  of 
eagle's  feathers  for  the  great  chief  of  the  Crow  nation,  a  set  of  the 
claws  of  the  grizzled  bear,  which  also  were  worn  for  ornament, 
and  a  tomahawk  of  flint  with  a  variety  of  bunches  of  human  hair: 
for  every  time  a  warrior  has  killed  his  enemy  with  his  toma 
hawk,  he  fastens  a  bunch  of  his  hair,  with  a  piece  of  the  scalp 
on  his  weapon.  He  farther  showed  me  a  pipe  made  of  a  sheep's 
rib,  adorned  with  glass  beads,  upon  which  the  Indians  blow  all 
the  time  they  are  engaged  in  a  fight,  so  as  not  to  loose  themselves 
in  the  woods;  a  spoon  made  of  the  horn  of  a  wild  mountain  ram; 
various  minerals,  and  among  them  petrified  wood,  which  is 
found  in  great  quantities  in  that  western  region;  serpentine,  and 
other  curiosities.  The  coats  of  the  squaws  are  trimmed  with 
long  thin  strips  of  leather,  on  one  of  these  a  bunch  of  yellow 
moss  and  grass  was  tied,  which  the  Indians  regard  as  a  sort  of 
amulet  or  talisman.  •  .*. ; 

On  the  28th  of  February,  in  the  forenoon,  I  went  with  Mr, 
Huygens  to  pay  General  Villaret  a  visit  at  his  country-house.  A 
pretty  strong  west  wind  moderated  the  great  heat  outside  of  the 
city;  within  it,  the  thermometer  of  Fahrenheit  had  stood  at  eighty- 
one  degrees  in  the  shade.  Most  of  the  fruit  trees  were  in 
blossom.  Every  where  we  saw  fresh  green  and  bloom ;  all  was 
fresh  and  lively.  In  a  sugar-cane  field,  there  were  oats  a  foot 
and  a  half  high,  cut  as  green  fodder.  The  general  and  his  son 
were  occupied  in  managing  the  labours  of  the  field.  We  went 
with  them  to  walk  in  the  garden.  The  soil  is  very  fruitful,  that, 
however,  is  the  most  so,  which  is  reclaimed  from  the  swamp  of 
the  Mississippi,  or  the  Bayou.  In  this  soil,  nevertheless  the 
germ  of  a  real  land  plague,  the  coco,  as  it  is  called,  shows  itself, 
the  same  which  was  made  use  of  on  the  continent  of  Europe,  as 
a  substitute  for  coffee,  during  the  existence  of  the  vexatious 
•continental  system.  This  knotty  growth  is  principally  found 
in  the  mud ;  and  one  lump  or  knot  of  it  multiplies  itself  so  ex- 


75 

tremely  quick,  that  it  kills  all  the  plants  growing  near  it,  and 
covers  the  whole  field,  in  which  it  has  taken  root.  It  is  very  dif 
ficult  to  extirpate,  since  the  smallest  knot,  that  remains  in  the 
earth,  serves  for  the  root  of  a  new  plant,  and  several  hundred  new 
knots.  The  legislature  of  Louisiana,  has  offered  a  considerable 
reward  to  whoever  shall  succeed  in  the  discovery  of  an  efficient 
remedy  against  this  pest  of  the  soil.  No  one  has  yet  obtained  the 
desired  object. 

The  general  explained  to  me,  the  manner  in  which  the  sugar 
cane  fields  were  managed.  Parallel  furrows  are  made  through 
them  at  intervals  of  three  feet.  In  these  furrows,  the  cane  is  laid 
lengthwise,  and  covered  with  earth.  Some  planters  lay  two  cane 
joints  together,  others  content  themselves  with  but  one.  The 
end  of  the  successive  piece  of  cane,  is  so  placed,  that  it  lies  about 
six  inches  above  the  end  of  the  first.  From  each  joint  of  the  cane, 
there  shoot  up  new  sprouts,  and  form  new  stalks.  In  St.  Do 
mingo,  there  is  another  method  of  arranging  the  cane  field.  The 
field  is  digged  in  square  holes,  placed  checkerwise  at  the  distance 
of  three  feet  apart,  in  which  four  pieces  of  cane  are  laid  in  the 
square,  and  then  covered  up.  This  method  is  judged  the  best. 

The  tragedy  of  Marie  Stuart  by  Le  Brun  from  Schiller,  and  a 
vaudeville,  la  Demoiselle  et  la  Dame,  were  produced  at  the  thea 
tre,  to  which  I  went.  The  first  piece  was  announced  at  the  re 
quest  of  several  Ajnerican  families,  of  course  there  were  numbers 
of  ladies  of  that  nation  in  the  boxes.  The  tragedy  of  Le  Brun 
is  changed  very  little  from  that  by  Schiller ;  it  is  only  curtailed, 
and  two  parts,  those  of  Shrewsbury  and  Mellvil,  are  thrown  into 
one.  Many  scenes  in  it,  particularly  the  meeting  of  the  two 
queens,  is  translated  almost  word  for  word.  Madam  Clozel  un 
dertook  the  part  of  Marie  Stuart,  and  supported  it  from  be 
ginning  to  end  in  a  masterly  style  ;  but  she  was  not  properly 
supported.  Nevertheless,  the  piece  met  with  great  approbation. 
Unluckily,  however,  the  machinery  was  not  in  order.  At  the 
close  of  the  piece,  when  Leicester  falls  in  the  greatest  distraction 
into  the  arms  of  an  officer  of  the  guard,  the  curtain  could  not  be 
lowered,  and  several  minutes  elapsed,  before  poor  Leicester  could 
leave  his  painful  attitude.  On  this  account  the  audience  made 
known  their  displeasure  by  hissing,  which  marred  very  much  the 
effect  produced  by  the  piece. 

A  representation  of  Hamlet,  in  the  French  theatre  was  uncom 
monly  well  attended.  The  Colombian  Commodore  Jolly,  who 
had  brought  a  brig  of  his  nation  into  New  Orleans,  appeared 
in  uniform,  and  drew  the  attention  of  the  public  upon  himself, 
partly  by  his  dress,  and  partly  by  his  huge  dress  hat,  with  a  white 
feather.  The  next  morning  I  made  acquaintance  with  the  com 
modore,  and  with  his  two  officers,  of  whom  one  is  a  Colombian, 


76 

and  the  other  an  Englishman  by  birth.  The  commodore  had 
also  taken  up  his  quarters  with  Madam  Herries;he  is  a  Frenchman, 
fifty-six  years  of  age,  of  which  he  has  passed  forty  in  the  West 
Indies.  I  carried  him  and  the  two  officers  to  visit  Governor 
Johnson,  and  also  Bishop  Dubourg.  The  latter  appeared  very 
much  flattered  by  this  visit.  On  going  away,  the  Englishman 
kissed  the  Bishop's  hand.  He,  the  bishop,  expressed  his  sur 
prise  at  receiving  this  testimony  of  respect  from  a  protestant;  to 
which  the  officer  replied,  that  this  reverence  was  paid  to  the 
episcopal  ring.  Mr.  Dubourg,  indeed,  wore  a  costly  amethyst 
on  his  finger,  as  a  representation  of  the  fisher's  ring. 

For  some  days  back  theweather  had  become  oppressively  warm, 
like  the  heat  of  summer.  Several  persons  who  were  not  accus 
tomed  to  this  degree  of  heat,  found  themselves  unwell;  it,  how 
ever,  agreed  with  me.  After  a  while  considerable  showers  of 
rain,  accompanied  by  thunder  and  lightning  took  place;  The 
consequence  of  this  was,  in  one  way,  that  the  mud  became  ex 
cessively  deep  in  the  streets,  but  on  the  other  hand,  the  river 
began  to  rise,  which  occasioned  great  joy  in  the  city.  Numbers 
of  steam-boats,  and  flat-boats  were  looked  for,  with  provisions 
from  the  western  states,  as  they  began  to  grow  scarce  and  dear. 

An  acquaintance  very  dear  to  me,  and  of  which  I  shall  always 
preserve  a  grateful  remembrance,  was  that  which  I  made  with 
Baron  Marigny,  a  Creole  by  birth,  and  one  of  the  most  distin 
guished  inhabitants  of  the  state.  One  of  the  suburbs  of  New 
Orleans  was  laid  out  by  his  father,  and  bears  his  name;  at  the 
entrance  of  it,  he  lives  in  a  mansion-house,  erected  with  taste 
and  splendour.  Never  shall  I  forget  the  happy  days,  which  I 
passed  in  the  circle  of  his  amiable  family.  During  the  troubles 
of  the  French  revolution,  the  then  duke  of  Orleans,  found  a  refuge 
and  active  assistance  with  M.  Marigny.  After  some  time,  this  gen 
tleman  made  a  voyage  to  France,  and  was  well  received  by  the 
duke.  I  saw  at  his  house,  a  coffee-set  of  French  china,  which 
he  had  received  from  him  as  a  present.  The  cups  contained  the 
well  executed  portraits  of  the  duke,  the  dutchess,  and  their  nine 
children,  and  upon  the  larger  pieces  were  views  of  the  palais 
royal,  and  of  the  castle  and  park  in  Neuilly.  The  Baron  Ma 
rigny,  also  had  in  his  possession  a  very  fine  portrait  of  the  duke, 
painted  by  Augustin,  in  Paris  ;  likewise  an  engraving,  represent 
ing  him,  as  he  supported  himself  during  his  exile  in  Switzerland, 
by  giving  lessons  in  the  mathematics. 

On  the  llth  of  March,  in  a  small  company  of  ladies  and  gen 
tlemen,  I  saw  a  cosmorama,  which  was  set  up  here.  It  is  known 
generally,  to  be  a  sort  of  prospect,  given  by  being  in  a  dark 
room,  and  beholding  various  objects,  through  glasses  of  different 
magnifying  powers.  This  cosmorama  contained  ten  views  of 


77 

different  places,  which  are  changed  every  week.  Some  view?* 
of  East  Indian  antiquities,  and  remarkable  buildings,  were  well 
displayed,  as  also,  a  representation  of  a  hall  in  the  former  pri 
sons  of  the  Inquisition  at  Goa,  not  so  good;  and  a  couple  of  views 
in  Japan  and  Macao,  in  China.  The  examination  of  all  the 
objects,  detained  us  until  evening.  We  then  accompanied  the 
ladies  home,  they  lived  in  a  country-house,  a  mile  below  the 
Fauxbourg  Marigny,  on  the  Lev6e.  It  was  eight  o'clock  as  we 
descended  the  Levee;  the  evening  was  clear,  with  star-light;  the 
bustle  in  the  harbour  had  ceased  ;  we  only  remarked  on  board 
of  some  ships  the  sailors  collected  on  the  deck,  under  an 
illuminated  awning,  where  the  captain  held  evening  divine  ser 
vice.  Precisely  at  eight  o'clock,  the  retreat-gun  fired  at  the 
City  Hall,  which  is  the  signal  for  the  negroes  to  return  home, 
immediately  after,  the  two  Colombian  brigs  fired,  the  drums  and 
bugles  sounded  the  retreat,  while  the  barracks  of  the  infantry 
did  the  same.  All  this,  added  to  the  lighted  ships,  and  the  soli 
tary  gleams  from  the  opposite  side  of  the  river,  made  an  impres 
sion  upon  me,  which  I  cannot  venture  to  describe.  The  wretched 
miry  way,  in  which  we  nearly  stuck  fast,  was  almost  forgotten. 
One  of  the  gentlemen  accompanying  us,  had  the  politeness  to 
send  me  home  in  his  chaise.  This  was  a  pleasant  attention  to 
me,  for  there  are  drunken  sailors,  and  fellows  of  the  lower  class, 
(which  are  called  here,  as  in  Mexico,  Guichinangos,)  in  great 
numbers  here,  and  as  these  creatures  have  a  strong  propensity  to 
street-robbing  and  stabbing,  it  is  not  very  prudent  to  be  alone 
on  a  dark  evening,  upon  this  deserted  road. 

In  an  excursion  to  the  country-house  of  Mr.  David  Urquhart, 
I  observed  the  great  injury  done  by  the  coco,  before  alluded  to, 
in  his  garden ;  it  covered  both  the  walks  and  beds,  from  which 
daily  industry  will  not  root  it  out.  In  the  vegetable  garden,  I 
found  most  kinds  of  those  used  in  Europe,  the  peas  were  as 
large  on  the  13th  of  March,  as  they  are  in  Flanders  on  the  be 
ginning  of  June;  we  ate  of  green  peas  full  three  weeks  ago. 
The  melons  are  first  deposited  in  beds  of  manure,  to  force  them 
for  earlier  use,  and  when  they  begin  to  sprout,  are  planted 
afresh  in  the  field.  The  soil  is  so  rich,  that  it  does  not  require 
manure.  I  noticed  several  fruit  trees  of  various  kinds,  but  was 
informed,  that  the  fruit  produced  by  them,  on  account  of  the 
intense  heat  of  summer,  would  not  be  of  good  quality. 

The  brig  Arcturus  arrived  on  the  14th  of  March  from  Boston, 
with  a  cargo  of  ice.  This  article  is  very  conducive  to  comfort  in 
a  warm  climate,  but  it  is  exceedingly  difficult  to  preserve  it. 
Where  there  is  water  every  where  two  feet  below  the  surface  of 
the  earth,  of  course,  ice-vaults  are  impracticable.  The  cargo 
which  now  arrived,  was  thrown  into  a  large  brick  building,  and 


78 

it  was  asserted  that  it  would  keep  there  till  winter.  I  examined 
the  construction  of  this  building.  A  coffer,  made  of  strong  thick 
planks,  and  some  forty  feet  in  height,  is  provided  with  a  small 
opening  under  the  roof.  Through  this  opening  the  ice  is  thrown 
in,  and  again  taken  out  for  use.  About  the  coffer  there  is  carried 
a  brick  wall,  and  the  vacant  space  between  the  wall  and  the 
planks  of  the  coffer,  which  is  about  two  feet,  is  filled  up  with  a 
mixture  of  shavings  and  saw-dust,  which  resists  the  influence  of 
the  exterior  warm  atmosphere. 

A  great  quantity  of  drift  timber  was  floating  on  the  river,  even 
huge  trees.  Negroes  were  busied  in  small  canoes  in  collecting 
it,  as  it  serves  the  residents  on  the  Levee  for  fire-wood.  The 
largest  part  of  it,  however,  is  driven  into  the  Gulf  of  Mexico, 
strikes  the  gulf  stream,  is  again  carried  into  the  Atlantic  ocean, 
and  driven  upon  the  shores  of  Iceland  and  Greenland,  where  it 
serves  to  warm  the  miserable  inhabitants  of  those  inhospitable 
countries. 

On  the  17th  of  March,  I  accompanied  Commodore  Jolly  to  the 
criminal  court,  before  which  he  was  cited.  The  cause  thereof 
was  as  follows: — The  year  previous,  a  Colombian  corvette  had 
arrived  at  New  Orleans,  from  which  several  sailors  deserted.  One 
of  these  sailors,  an  Indian,  native  of  Maracaybo,  had  hired  him 
self  as  a  servant  at  a  Spanish  grog-shop,  and  came  on  board  the 
Pichincha,  Commodore  Jolly's  brig,  to  visit  his  old  comrades, 
and  to  induce  several  to  desert  He  was  recognised  as  a  deserter, 
and  as  such  arrested.  The  Spaniard,  with  whom  the  sailor  Ra 
mirez  had  served,  laid  his  complaint  before  the  criminal  court, 
and  the  commodore  was  cited  to  appear.  The  Spaniard  had  em 
ployed  two  lawyers,  a  Frenchman,  named  Canonge,  and  an  old 
Spaniard,  Rodriguez,  who  defended  the  cause  of  the  sailor,  and 
laboured  to  prove  the  commodore's  proceedings  to  be  illegal. 
The  pleading  of  the  Frenchman  was  full  of  common  place  and 
far-fetched  haranguing.  Mr.  Rodriguez  explained  his  arguments 
more  logically,  though  by  his  Spanish  accent  he  excited  great 
merriment  among  the  audience.  The  commodore  had  no  counsel, 
wherefore  a  Mr.  Morel  was  assigned  to  him  as  such,  who,  as  he 
had  no  time  for  preparation,  requested  the  postponement  of  the 
cause  to  the  following  day.  This  request  was  granted. 

On  the  next  day,  we  again  visited  the  criminal  court.  I  was 
apprized  that  several  Spaniards  had  combined,  and  promised  five 
hundred  dollars  for  the  setting  Ramirez  at  liberty.  They  had 
employed  a  Mr.  Davczac  as  their  third  advocate.  The  officers, 
some  petty  officers,  and  one  seaman,  of  the  two  brigs,  were  heard 
as  witnesses.  These  proved  in  the  fullest  manner,  that  the  sailor 
had  deserted  from  the  corvettcOurika  last  year.  The  Spaniards  pro 
duced  opposing  witnesses.  These  contradicted  each  other  so  vilely 


79 

in  their  respective  declarations,  that  they  were  soon  held  back,  so 
as  not  to  be  involved  in  a  charge  of  perjury  as  false  witnesses.  By 
this  opportunity  I  learnt,  that  it  was  considered  difficult  among 
the  Spaniards  here  to  obtain  a  witness  for  the  sum  of  eight  dol 
lars,  to  say  any  thing  in  evidence  that  was  required.  And  yet 
that  is  more  than  such  a  complacent  witness  costs  in  some  other 
countries.  The  lawyers  put  such  strange  questions  to  the  Co 
lombian  witnesses,  and  particularly  to  the  seamen,  (as  for  in 
stance,  in  what  manner  was  he  enlisted,  what  was  his  pay,  and 
how  he  was  paid,  how  he  was  fed  and  treated?)  that  the  judge 
called  them  to  order  several  times.  Mr.  Morel  conducted  his 
defence  very  well,  and  successfully  combated  the  arguments  pro 
duced  by  his  antagonists.  He  then  laid  down  the  principle, 
which  certainly  is  a  very  just  one,  that  the  person  who  is  on  board 
of  a  vessel  of  war,  is  within  the  limits  and  jurisdiction  of  that  go 
vernment  to  which  the  vessel  may  belong.  Upon  this  principle 
the  commodore  necessarily  must  gain  his  suit,  and  this  he  did 
in  a  very  satisfactory  manner. 

After  the  disposal  of  this  cause,  on  the  17th  of  March  another 
one  was  taken  up.  A  resident  lawyer,  named  Lloyd,  whose  re 
putation  stood  very  low,  had,  on  the  preceding  day,  insulted  the 
presiding  Judge  Turner  in  the  street,  for  which  reason  the  judge 
had  him  taken  in  custody  by  the  sheriff,  and  thrown  into  pri 
son.  The  injured  judge  presided  in  his  own  suit,  and  in  this 
manner  was  both  judge  and  party.  I  was  informed  that  Mr. 
Turner  was  insulted  in  his  individual  capacity,  but  that  he  de 
cided  as  a  judge  in  the  name  of  the  state  of  Louisiana.  This  ex 
planation  did  not  satisfy  me,  the  distinction  between  person  and 
his  office,  may  be  correct  in  theory,  it  is,  however,  very  hardly 
so  in  practice ;  and  on  this  acount,  the  proceeding  to  me  appear 
ed  arbitrary.  It  appeared  unfair  also  to  me,  that  the  judge  was 
not  assisted  by  a  jury.  Farther,  Mr.  Lloyd  wished  to  defend 
his  own  cause,  he  was,  however,  half  intoxicated,  and  attacked 
the  judge  so  grossly  from  time  to  time,  that  he  ordered  him  fre 
quently  to  be  silent.  The  examination  of  the  witnesses  con 
sumed  so  much  time,  that  I  was  obliged  to  leave  the  court  before 
the  termination  of  the  case.  I  heard  afterwards  that  Mr.  Lloyd 
had  been  adjudged,  to  provide  two  sureties  for  his  good  behaviour., 
during  one  year,  each  in  a  penalty  of  one  thousand  dollars,  and 
since  he  was  not  able  to  find  these  securities  immediately,  to  be 
remanded  to  prison. 

On  the  same  day,  Mr.  Bowdoin  left  us,  and  embarked  on  board 
the  steam-boat  George  Washington,  bound  to  Louisville :  after 
wards  to  return  to  New  York.  I  accompanied  him  on  board 
of  the  boat,  and  had  an  opportunity  of  observing  her  most  ex- 


80 

cellcnt  accommodations.  The  part  devoted  to  lodging  passen 
gers,  is  built  like  a  house  in  a  boat.  The  lower  deck,  or  deck 
on  which  the  engine  is  placed,  is  occupied  by  what  are  call 
ed  deck-passengers,  those  who  pay  a  lower  price, — there  are 
cot  frames  suspended  for  them,  but  if  there  should  be  too 
many,  the  last  comers  must  of  course  sleep  on  the  deck.  Above 
this,  is  the  principal  cabin,  the  passage  in  which  to  Louis 
ville  costs  fifty  dollars.  Here  is  a  handsome  saloon  lighted 
from  above,  in  the  centre  and  on  each  side  are  enclosed  state 
rooms,  each  with  two  births,  one  over  the  other.  Behind  this 
is  the  ladies  cabin,  which  can  be  so  joined  to  it  by  the  opening 
of  two  folding  doors,  that  both  apartments  may  be  thrown  into 
one  at  pleasure.  Around  this  principal  deck,  runs  a  broad  and 
lofty  gallery,  for  the  convenience  of  travellers.  Above  the 
cabin,  is  the  deck  also  covered  with  a  roof?  where  cotton, 
other  articles,  and  deck-passengers  find  accommodation*  For 
such  as  smoke  tobacco,  there  is  a  separate  apartment  provided, 
in  which  they  enjoy  this  acquired  habit,  without  incommoding 
the  other  passengers,  or  the  ladies  thereby.  For  the  use  of  tra 
vellers,  there  is  likewise  a  library  provided  on  board.  The  ele 
vated  position  of  the  cabin  is  very  agreeable,  because  one  is  not 
annoyed  by  the  engine;  moreover  in  case  a  boiler  should  burst, 
he  is  exposed  to  less  danger,  as  the  explosion  can  only  direct  a 
fatal  force  along  the  lower  deck.  There  were  a  pretty  large  num 
ber  of  passengers  on  board;  the  vessel  sailed  about  half  after 
four  o'clock,  P.  M.  and  presented  a  majestic  appearance  in  her 
progress. 

On  the  19th  of  March,  at  nine  o'clock,  I  went  with  Mr.  Huy- 
gens,  and  a  Mr.  Authur  Andry,  to  his  brother  Michael  Andry's 
habitation,  about  eleven  miles  distant  from  the  city  below,  situa 
ted  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Mississippi.  The  road  carried  us 
over  the  field  of  battle,  and  past  the  habitation  of  General  Villa- 
ret:  about  two  miles  farther  on,  we  stopped  at  the  habitation  of 
Jumonville,  left  the  carriage  and  embarked  in  one  of  Mr.  An- 
dry's  ferry-boats,  sent  over  for  us,  manned  by  seven  negroes, 
and  crossed  the  river.  There  was  much  drift  wood  collected  on 
the  left  bank,  through  which  we  worked  our  way  with  difficulty. 
Then  we  had  also  both  wind  and  current  against  us,  and  had  to 
keep  guard  against  the  floating  trunks  of  trees.  We  spent  three 
quarters  of  an  hour  in  this  passage.  We  landed  at  a  large  field 
of  clover,  belonging  to  Mr.  Andry,  and  through  the  garden 
reached  his  large  and  handsome  mansion-house,  two  stories  high, 
with  a  piazza  and  very  broad  gallery,  which  is  defended  from 
the  heat  of  the  sun  by  large  curtains  extended  from  pillar  to  pil 
lar.  Here  Mr.  Andry  received  us. 


81 

Not  long  after  our  arrival,  we  went  to  the  sugar-mills,  behind 
the  mansion-house,  near  the  negro-quarter.  The  mill,  in  which 
the  cylinders  lie  horizontally,  is  set  in  motion  by  a  steam-engine 
of  twelve  horse-power,  made  in  Liverpool  by  Faucett.  The 
juice  from  the  cane  flows  into  the  boiling-house,  in  which  there 
are  ten  kettles.  Mr.  Andry  directs  himself  all  the  operations, 
and  while  the  mill  is  at  work  resides  in  a  small  room  not  far 
from  the  engine.  He  has  the  reputation  of  being  very  severe  to 
his  negroes.  Whether  this  imputation  be  just  or  not,  I  could 
not  decide,  but  twelve  years  ago  an  insurrection  of  the  slaves 
broke  out  at  his  habitation,  in  which  one  of  his  brothers  was 
murdered,  and  his  father  received  three  severe  wounds  with 
an  axe.  The  garden  here  was  not  well  kept.  Scientific  gar 
deners  are  very  difficult  to  be  procured  here.  Some  years  before 
two  ships  arrived  with  German  emigrants,  who  were  sold  to  de 
fray  the  price  of  their  passage.  There  were  several  gardeners 
among  them.  These  men  very  soon  extricated  themselves 
from  their  dependent  situation,  and  part  of  them  established 
themselves;  but  the  rest  fell  a  sacrifice  to  the  noxious  climate.  As 
the  term  of  their  service  was  limited  to  a  few  years,  their  mas 
ters  did  not  give  themselves  much  trouble  to  reclaim  the  runa 
ways.  Mr.  Andry's  garden  was  surrounded  by  a  thick  hedge 
of  orange  trees,  and  contained  many  magnolias,  orange  trees, 
myrtles,  jasmines,  &c.  We  returned  to  the  left  bank  about 
eleven  o'clock  at  night,  and  our  carriage  conveyed  us  through  the 
beautiful,  mild  moonlight,  back  to  New  Orleans  in  an  hour. 

In  the  American  theatre,  "  Der  Freischutz"  was  presented 
under  the  title  of  the  "Black  Huntsman  of  Bohemia."  This 
drama,  so  universally  known  and  admired,  and  which  has  follow 
ed  me  even  in  America  like  and  evil  genius,  (since  detached 
pieces  of  it  were  sung  and  played  in  almost  all  companies,)  I  had 
never  yet  witnessed.  Determined  not  to  remain  longer  in  the 
rear  of  the  age,  I  therefore  went  to  the  theatre.  The  orchestra 
was  very  weak  and  badly  filled,  hardly  any  of  the  performers 
could  sing;  I  was  told  that  the  handsomest  pieces  of  music  are 
either  abridged  or  entirely  omitted.  The  decorations,  neverthe 
less,  were  tolerably  good,  I  found  the  boxes  and  galleries  throng 
ed.  In  the  pit  there  were  but  few  spectators,  and  these  consist 
ed  of  sailors  and  countrymen  from  Kentucky,  who  made  them 
selves  quite  at  ease  on  the  benches,  and  cracked  nuts  during  the 
finest  pieces  of  music;  a  custom  I  have  noticed  in  all  English 
theatres,  and  from  which  my  tobacco-chewing  neighbours  in  the 
boxes  did  not  refrain.  The  theatre  is  newly  erected,  and  is  ar 
ranged  not  untastefully.  It  contains,  besides  the  pit  and  parquet, 
three  rows  of  galleries  as  the  French  theatre;  the  boxes  are  only 
divided  by  low  balustrades,  so  that  you  look  out  as  if  from  a  bal- 

VOL.  II.  11 


82 

cony;  the  second  gallery  is  destined  for  the  reception  of  coloured 
spectators,  among  whom  I  saw  not  a  single  female,  and  in  the 
upper  gallery  the  mob  and  women  of  the  town  sit.  The  saloon 
is  lit  with  gas,  and  has  a  very  tasteful  girandole.  I  remained 
but  for  a  short  time. 

One  witnesses  almost  daily  examples  of  the  degrading  treat 
ment  which  the  poor  negroes  experience.  I  should  say  nothing 
of  it,  but  one  particular  scene,  which  roused  my  indignation  in 
the  highest  manner,  on  the  22d  of  March,  I  cannot  suffer  to  pass 
in  silence.  There  was  a  young  Virginian  female  slave  in  our 
boarding-house,  employed  as  a  chamber  maid,  a  cleanly,  atten 
tive,  quiet,  and  very  regular  individual.  A  Frenchman  residing 
in  the  house,  called,  in  the  morning  early,  for  water  to  wash. 
As  the  water  was  not  instantly  brought  to  him,  he  went  down 
the  steps,  and  encountered  this  poor  girl,  who  just  then  had  some 
other  occupation  in  hand.  He  struck  her  immediately  with  the 
fist,  in  the  face,  so  that  the  blood  ran  from  her  forehead.  The 
poor  creature,  roused  by  this  unmerited  abuse,  put  herself  on  her 
defence,  and  caught  the  Frenchman  by  the  throat.  He  screamed 
for  help,  but  no  one  would  interfere.  The  fellow  then  ran  to  his 
room,  gathered  his  things  together,  and  designed  to  leave  the 
house.  But  when  our  landlady,  Madam  Herries,  was  informed 
of  this,  in  order  to  satisfy  the  wretch,  she  disgraced  herself  by 
having  twenty-six  lashes  inflicted  upon  the  poor  girl  with  a  cow 
hide,  and  refined  upon  her  cruelty  so  much,  that  she  forced  the 
sweetheart  of  the  girl,  a  young  negro  slave,  who  waited  in  the 
house,  to  count  off  the  lashes  upon  her.* 

The  river  was  progressively  on  the  rise :  the  level  of  the  water 
already  higher  than  the  land.  It  still  brought  down  great  quan 
tities  of  drift  timber  with  it.  It  was  said,  that  about  three  days 
before,  an  uncommonly  long  and  thick  rattlesnake  had  been  caught 
upon  a  tree  that  had  been  fished  out.  It  was  killed  by  a  stroke 
of  an  axe,  and  had  eighteen  rattles  on  its  tail.  From  this  it  was 
concluded  that  extraordinary  inundations  had  taken  place  in  the 
upper  countries. 

In  order  to  pay  my  farewell  visit  to  Mr.  and  Madam  Andry, 
I  crossed  the  Mississippi  river  in  a  little  boat,  and  it  occupied  me 
full  three-quarters  of  an  hour  to  gain  the  right  bank.  It  required 
a  quarter  of  an  hour  alone  to  pass  through  the  drift  wood,  which 
had  collected  on  the  shore.  We  were  compelled,  nevertheless, 
to  direct  our  course  parallel  with  the  bank,  for  if  we  had  attained 

•  This  Frenchman,  a  merchant's  clerk  from  Montpeiier,  was  not  satisfied  with 
tins:  he  went  to  the  police,  lodged  a  complaint  ag-ainst  the  girl,  had  her  arrest 
ed  by  two  constables,  and  whipped  again  by  them  in  his  presence.  I  regret 
that  I  did  not  take  a  note  of  this  miscreant's  name,  in  order  that  I  might  give 
hjs  disgraceful  conduct  its  merited  publicity. 


83 

the  main  current,  it  would  have  swept  us  down  with  great 
force.  In  addition  to  this,  we  experienced  a  real  equinoctial 
tempest,  so  that  the  passage  was  far  from  being  comfortable.  I 
hired  a  horse  upon  the  opposite  bank,  and  rode  in  less  than  an 
hour  to  Mr.  Andry's  habitation,  ten  miles  distance.  The  horses 
here  are  trained  to  a  small  gallop  or  canter,  which  is  upon  the 
whole  not  fatiguing,  and  carries  you  speedily.  The  storm  had 
driven  off  in  a  thunder-squall,  I  felt  but  the  beginning  of  it,  and 
reached  the  habitation  just  at  the  right  time.  I  galloped  back 
again  about  five  o'clock  in  the  evening,  under  a  beautiful  clear 
sky.  The  road  ran  partly  on  the  levee,  partly  along  side  of  it. 
The  land  is  chiefly  cane-fields.  I  came  past  three  considerable 
sugar  plantations,  from  whicti  canals  were  made  in  the  cypress 
woods  behind  the  fields,  and  thence  to  the  Lake  Barataria. 
These  canals  are  intended  principally  for  the  carriage  of  wood. 
The  young  sprouts  of  the  sugar  cane  made  their  appearance  above 
ground,  and  the  negroes  were  employed  in  weeding  it.  The 
passage  over  the  river  was  shorter  this  evening  than  in  the  morn 
ing,  it  lasted  an  half  hour. 

Dr.  Herman  showed  me,  at  my  farewell  visit  to  him,  besides 
his  library,  the  claws  and  head  of  an  alligator,  which  he  had 
shot  on  the  lake  Barataria.  The  teeth  of  this  reptile  are  in 
deed  very  long,  but  they  do  not  appear  to  be  fixed  firmly  in, 
but  are  hollow,  and  seem  as  if  the  animal  changed  them  periodi 
cally;  for  in  the  cavities  of  several  teeth,  which  had  appeared 
to  leave  no  roots,  you  see  young  teeth  pushing  forth.  Below 
the  under  jaw,  the  alligator  has  two  little  glands,  which  have  a 
strong  odour  of  musk.  The  Doctor  has  dried  these  glands,  and 
hung  them  up  in  that  state  for  several  years,  yet  still  they  impart 
a  strong  musky  smell.  The  alligator  perhaps  may  avail  himself 
of  this  substance  to  benumb  the  fish  which  come  within  his  reach, 
arid  then  swallow  them.* 

Bishop  Dubourg,  whom  I  have  often  visited  during  my  resi 
dence  in  this  place,  received  me  one  day  in  his  library,  which 
contains  besides  theological  works,  many  books  of  science  and 
belles  lettres.  I  remarked  a  perfect  set  of  the  French  En 
cyclopedic,  and  complimented  the  bishop  upon  it,  and  express 
ed  my  surprise  that  he  should  have  been  able  to  purchase  this 
work  so  complete  in  this  country.  The  worthy  man  related 
with  a  smile  how  he  had  acquired  it.  As  he  was  travelling 
through  Flanders  in  1816  and  1817,  in  company  with  the 
Bishop  Prince  de  Broglio,  he  formed  an  acquaintance  with  a  gen 
tleman  and  his  daughter,  well  known  for  their  bigotry.  The 
latter,  a  great  admirer  of  books,  told  him  confidingly,  that  she  ex- 

*  [Nonsense.] — TEAKS. 


84 

perienced  great  scruples  on  account  of  keeping  in  her  library  the 
Encyclopedic,  in  which  so  many  wicked  things  were  contained 
in  opposition  to  the  church.  She  inquired  of  him  whether  she 
had  not  better  throw  this  shocking  book  into  the  fire?  He  him 
self  being  a  great  book  fancier,  and  having  observed  that  the  work 
was  complete,  forbid  this  pious  proceeding,  and  told  her  that  if 
she  would  commit  it  to  his  custody,  he  would  provide  against  its 
proving  prejudicial.  In  this  manner  he  saved  this  expensive 
work  from  destruction,  and  thereby  enriched  his  own  library. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Travels  up  the  Mississippi  from  New  Orleans  to  St.  Louis, 
and  to  St.  Charles,  on  the  Missouri. 

AFTER  a  stay  of  nine  weeks,  I  at  length  left  New  Orleans, 
on  the  26th  of  March,  with  the  most  grateful  feelings  towards 
its  inhabitants,  who  had  received  me  in  a  friendly  and  affec 
tionate  manner,  and  had  made  this  winter  so  extremely  agree 
able  to  me.  Never  shall  I  forget  what  the  families  of  Messrs. 
Grymes,  Urquhart  and  Andry,  did  for  my  benefit,  and  with 
what  cordiality  and  true  hospitality  they  acted  towards  me. 
The  Baron  de  Marigny  has,  however,  merited  the  most  from 
my  hands,  and  since  he  has  it  in  prospect  to  leave  Ame 
rica,  and  settle  himself  in  Europe,  I  trust  yet  once  more  to 
have  it  in  my  power  to  exhibit  my  gratitude  to  him  otherwise 
than  by  words.  The  real  Creoles  are,  upon  the  whole,  a  warm 
hearted  generation,  and  the  people  with  whom  I  was  least  pleased 
here,  were  the  Americans,  who  are  mostly  brought  only  by  the  de 
sire  of  accumulating  wealth.  The  Germans  in  Louisiana,  unhappily 
rank  behind, even  the  Irish.  They  are  mostly  a  lazy  race,  not  dis 
tinguished  for  their  morality,  and  very  different  from  their  coun 
trymen  in  Pennsylvania,  who,  on  account  of  their  moral  and 
industrious  characters,  are  universally  respected,  and  are  worthy 
of  this  high  regard. 

Since  my  landing  in  Boston,  on  the  26th  July,  to  my  reaching 
New  Orleans,  I  had  travelled  the  distance  of  four  thousand  two 
hundred  and  seventy-five  English  miles.  I  entered  now  upon 
another  great  journey.  I  designed  to  go  from  here  to  St. 
Louis,  thence  through  the  states  of  Illinois,  Indiana  and  Ohio 
to  Pittsburgh,  thence  through  Pennsylvania  by  Philadelphia  to 
New  York.  Here  I  proposed,  with  God's  help,  to  embark  for 
Liverpool,  in  the  month  of  June. 


85 

About  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning,  I  repaired  from  the  Levee 
on  board  the  steam-boat  Phoenix,  bound  for  St.  Louis,  and 
immediately  left  the  shore.  Eight  steam-boats  ascended  the 
river  on  the  same  day.  Ours  was  the  finest  of  this  number. 
She  was  not  large  and  had  proportionately  a  too  powerful 
and  dangerous  high  pressure  engine.  This  communicated  to 
the  vessel  such  a  violent  shock,  that  it  was  hardly  possible 
to  write.  Mr.  Huy gens  was  still  my  travelling  companion ;  and 
I  found  to  my  great  satisfaction,  a  new  and  very  welcome  one  in 
M.  Hottinguer,  the  son  of  a  banker  in  Paris,  whom  I  had  known 
in  New  York,  and  who  was  now  desirous  of  viewing  the  western 
states  on  his  return  to  Europe.  The  remaining  passengers,  only 
three  in  number,  were  inhabitants  of  St.  Genevieve,  not  far  from 
St  Louis,  in  the  state  of  Missouri.  The  day  was  very  beautiful; 
the  city,  as  well  as  the  extensive  suburb  of  St.  Marie,  afforded  a 
very  picturesque  view.  What  a  pity  that  the  shores  are  so  very 
low.  It  is  hard  to  determine  where  the  suburb  St.  Marie  ends, 
the  houses  gradually  stand  farther  apart,  until  they  are  con 
founded  with  the  sugar  plantations,  of  which  we  observed  a 
good  many  on  both  banks  of  the  river,  and  some  ornamented 
with  very  convenient  dwelling  houses.  The  banks^are  highly 
cultivated,  behind  the  fields,  however,  the  cypress  woods  are 
seen  to  commence.  Towards  the  afternoon,  something  broke  in 
the  engine,  and  we  had  to  lie.  by  for  repairs,  about  three  hours. 
We  heard  music  on  the  plantations,  as  the  negroes  were  allowed 
to  amuse  themselves  on  this  first  day  of  the  Easter  holy-days.  So 
much  timber  drove  down  the  stream,  that  our  engine  was  fre 
quently  stopped,  to  prevent  the  buckets  of  the  wheels  from  being 
injured  by  floating  trunks  of  trees. 

Our  accommodations  consisted  of  a  cabin  with  sixteen  births; 
behind  this  were  two  ladies  cabins,  of  which,  as  there  were  no 
ladies  on  board,  we  took  possession,  so  that  we  might  be  located 
at  the  greatest  possible  distance  from  the  engine.  We  met  three 
steam-boats,  and  several  keel  and  flat  boats,  which  were  laden 
with  cotton,  meal  in  barrels,  bacon,  hams,  birds,  &c. 

We  pas'sed  the  whole  night  without  receiving  any  damage, 
although  we  suffered  some  heavy  blows  from  floating  trunks 
of  trees.  The  next  day  the  dwellings  were  more  scattered, 
all  of  them,  as  well  as  the  sugar-cane  fields  about  them,  ap 
peared  in  good  condition.  The  banks  on  both  sides  we  found 
mostly  covered  with  wood;  the  cypress  had  ceased,  and  green- 
leaved  trees,  such  as  ash  and  poplar  took  their  place.  At  first 
the  shore  was  very  low,  and  we  could  observe  from  the  marks 
on  the  trees  left  by  the  water,  that  at  a  high  stage  of  it  the  sur 
rounding  country  must,  be  overflowed.  Towards  midday  we 
passed  the  small  town  of  Baton  Rouge,  which  lies  upon  a  height. 


86 

and  may  contain  about  twelve  hundred  inhabitants.  It  was  the 
first  town  we  had  noticed.  In  passing,  I  remarked  upon  the 
eminence  two  brick  barracks,  two  stories  high,  and  good  looking, 
which  are  inhabited  during  the  summer  by  the  garrison  of  New 
Orleans,  on  account  of  their  healthy  situation.  Baton  Rouge  is 
one  hundred  and  thirty-one  miles  distant  from  New  Orleans,  and 
owes  its  name  to  an  ancient  Indian  trunk  of  a  tree,  which  was 
so  denominated  by  the  first  French  settlers.  We  did  not  stop  here, 
but  made  our  first  halt  after  sunset,  at  Bayou  Sara,  one  hundred 
and  sixty-three  miles  from  New  Orleans,  for  an  hour,  to  take  in 
wood  for  the  engine.  Above  Baton  Rouge  the  banks  were  steep, 
especially  the  left.  Such  solitary  elevations  are  termed  here 
bluffs.  The  islands  in  the  Mississippi  are  numbered  as  they 
occur  from  the  junction  of  the  Ohio  down.  The  last  is  No. 
97,  we  came  this  day  up  above  No.  94,  and  found  all  these 
intermediate  islands  low  and  covered  with  wood.  Towards 
the  rising  of  the  sun,  we  had  passed  by  at  the  mouth  of  the  Bayou 
la  Fourche,  the  little  town  of  Donaldsonville,  where  as  it  is  said, 
the  seat  of  government  of  Louisiana  will  be  established.  *  We 
saw  three  large  alligators  lying  on  the  shore  sunning  themselves, 
the  largest  must  have  been  from  six  to  eight  feet  long.  The 
weather  was  fine  the  whole  day. 

We  did  not  lie  by  again  in  the  evening,  but  went  on  through 
the  night,  and  still  received  several  blows  from  the  drift  wood. 

The  next  morning  produced  nothing  novel;  some  tortoises 
only  passed  us,  sailing  on  pieces  of  wood.  The  river  made 
many  and  considerable  windings.  The  banks  are  every  where 
woody,  and  for  the  most  part  so  low,  that  from  the  water-marks 
on  the  trees,  they  must  be  inundated  at  high  freshes.  There  were 
several  high  bluffs  on  the  left  bank,  of  which  those  called  Loftus 
Heights,  appear  to  be  the  most  remarkable.  There  is  a  small 
settlement  there  called  Fort  Adams,  from  a  fort  that  formerly 
stood  here.  Scattered,  but  considerable  plantations,  are  situated 
on  the  shores.  The  sugar  plantations  have  ceased,  and  the  cot 
ton  fields  have  taken  their  place.  We  stopped  at  one  of  these 
plantations  to  take  in  wood;  I  embraced  this  opportunity  to 
land,  and  look  round  about  me  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
the  plantation.  The  soil  appeared  to  be  of  a  dark  colour, 
and  very  productive.  The  trees  were  chiefly  of  ash  and  pop 
lar,  of  which  one  was  sixteen  feet  in  circumference.  Upon 

*  [Our  author  has  somehow  been  confused  in  his  diary  here:  the  mouth  of  La 
Fourche  is  generally  called  seventy-five  miles  above  New  Orleans,  Stoddart  makes 
it  eighty-one.  At  any  rate  it  is  about  half  way  between  Bayou  Sara  or  Point 
Goupce  and  the  city  of  New  Orleans;  and  of  course  the  Duke  must  have  pass- 
Donaldsonville,  which  is  at  the  junction  of  La  Fourche  with  the  Mississippi, 
»n  the  morning  of  the  day  he  passed  Baton  Rouge.]— TEAKS. 


87 

all  the  trees,  wild  vines  branched  aloft,  partly  from  thick 
trunks;  also  many  locust  trees  grew  about  here.  In  the  garden 
of  the  plantation,  there  stood  a  large  bush  of  the  champagne 
rose,  as  it  is  called,  which  appeared  very  beautiful,  as  it  was  in 
full  bloom,  and  diffused  a  delicious  odour.  The  raising  of  bees 
was  carried  on  at  this  plantation.  The  vegetation  was  as  far  ad 
vanced  almost,  as  it  is  in  Germany  about  June.  The  right  bank 
of  the  stream  still  belongs  to  Louisiana,  the  left  side  however,  is 
in  Mississippi.  Before  we  reached  Fort  Adams,  we  saw  to  the 
left  of  us  the  broad  Red  river,  emptying  itself  into  the  Missis 
sippi  two  hundred  and  thirty-two  miles  from  New  Orleans. 

I  take  the  liberty  of  inserting  the  following  account  of  this 
river,  which  is  given  in  the  "  Western  Navigator,"  a  work  which 
is  published  with  charts  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi  rivers: 
"  The  Red  river  falls  into  the  Mississippi  a  little  to  the  south  of 
the  thirty -first  degree  of  north  latitude.  At  its  mouth  it  is  about 
five  hundred  yards  wide,  and  its  general  breadth  is  between  two 
hundred  and  fifty  and  three  hundred  yards.  The  main  branch 
of  this  majestic  stream  rises  in  the  Mexican  range  of  mountains 
eastward  from  Santa  Fe,  in  nearly  the  thirty-sixth  degree  of  north 
latitude.  It  flows  about  one  hundred  miles  in  a  north-eastern 
direction,  unites  itself  with  another  broad  branch  coming  from 
the  north-west,  makes  then  a  great  circuit  towards  the  south-east, 
and  follows  this  direction  to  the  Mississippi  for  the  distance  of 
fifteen  hundred  miles.  The  country  about  the  lower  half  of  the 
Red  river  is  pretty  well  examined,  and  found  equal  to  the  other 
part  of  Louisiana  in  fertility,  except  about  fifty  miles  from  the 
Mississippi,  which  district  is  exposed  to  annual  inundations. 
The  cotton  and  the  tobacco  raised  about  Natchitoches  and  at  the 
Rapids,  are  of  the  best  quality,  and  command  the  highest  prices. 
Besides  many  small  craft,  the  trade  employs  several  steam-boats 
at  Natchitoches.  The  bed  and  shores  of  this  river  consists  of 
clear  red  sand,  mixed  with  clay  and  gravel,  the  same  colour  is 
imparted  to  the  water." 

On  the  morning  of  the  29th  March  we  reached  Natchez,  and 
made  a  stop  of  some  hours,  to  repair  a  leaky  boiler.  I  employed 
this  leisure  in  writing  some  letters  of  thanks  to  New  Orleans. 
This  occupied  so  much  of  my  time,  that  I  was  not  able  to  look 
about  in  Natchez.  Several  of  our  company  did  so,  and  informed 
me  that  the  city  was  regularly  and  well  built,  and  situated 
upon  an  eminence  on  the  left  bank  of  the  river,  removed  a  short 
mile  back  from  it.  Upon  the  bank  itself,  are  some  few  streets  of 
wooden  houses,  with  shops  for  provisioning  and  supplying  the 
steam-boats,  which  mostly  make  this  a  station.  Back  of  these 
streets,  rises  a  sand-hill,  upon  which  the  city  stands,  and  a  very 


88 

laborious  ascent  through  deep  sand  carries  one  there.  Natchez 
is  two  hundred  and  ninety-eight  miles  distant  from  New  Orleans. 

At  half  past  eight  o'clock  we  proceeded:  the  banks  were  very 
low,  and  bluffs  were  to  be  seen  only  now  and  then  on  the  left 
side.  Only  one  solitary  plantation  on  a  hill  covered  with  grass 
appeared  well  cultivated.  It  was  situated  upon  a  point  called 
Petit  gulf,  where  the  river  makes  a  remarkable  bend,  and  is  three 
hundred  and  forty  miles  from  New  Orleans.  Besides  this,  we 
took  notice  of  several  little  plantations  which  are  exposed  to  in 
undations,  and  have  only  wretched  log-houses.  They  are  fixed 
there  by  poor  people,  who  seek  to  acquire  property  in  this  un 
healthy  district.  We  stopt  at  two  of  this  kind  of  plantations 
to  take  in  wood,  and  I  went  ashore  both  times  for  exercise. 
At  one  of  these  places,  the  owner  had  put  fire  to  all  the  trees 
that  were  not  hewn  down,  to  make  the  land  arable,  and  to 
change  the  wood  into  cotton  fields.  The  day  passed  over  in  the 
same  way:  our  travelling  party  was  increased  by  a  woman  from  St. 
Louis,  who  had  waited  for  us  with  her  three  children  at  one  of 
the  plantations.  She  was  the  wife  of  a  mechanic  in  St.  Louis, 
who  also  was  engaged  in  trade,  having  been  to  Santa  Fe,  in 
Mexico,  and  from  there  had  brought  mules  for  sale  to  the  state 
of  Alabama.  He  appeared  to  have  staid  away  rather  too  long; 
his  wife,  and  her  three  little  children,  had  travelled  after  him, 
but  not  being  able  to  find  him,  she  now  returned  home. 

During  the  night  we  passed  the  little  town  of  Warrcnton,  on 
the  left  bank  of  the  river,  three  hundred  and  ninety-eight  miles 
from  New  Orleans,  and  afterwards  another,  on  an  eminence  on 
the  same  shore,  called  Walnut  Hills,  ten  miles  farther.  About 
midday,  on  the  30th  of  March,  we  passed  the  mouth  of  the 
Yazoo. 

Concerning  this  river,  the  Western  Navigator  makes  the  fol 
lowing  remarks: — "  The  Yazoo  rises  in  the  state  of  Georgia, 
takes  a  south-westerly  direction,  meanders  through  a  fertile 
country,  and  empties  itself  into  the  Mississippi,  in  the  latitude 
of  32°  30'.  At  its  mouth  it  is  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  yards 
wide." 

The  country  was  again  very  monotonous,  low  banks,  partly 
covered  with  water,  covered  thickly  with  trees,  of  which  the 
fresh  green  leaves  were  very  much  hidden  by  the  disagreeable  Spa 
nish  moss:  some  inconsiderable  plantations,  where  cotton  and  In 
dian  corn  were  raised,  and  the  dwelling-houses,  miserable  little 
log-cabins,  which  are  built  on  a  sort  of  grate,  on  account  of  the 
overflowing  water.  We  stopt  at  one  of  these  places  for  wood,  on 
the  left  bank.  The  labourers  discovered  among  the  wood  prepared 
for  them,  a  snake  two  feet  long,  green  and  yellow  striped,  with 


89 

a  white  belly.  They  considered  it  poisonous,  and  killed  it;  I  be 
lieve,  however,  that  it  was  not,  for  at  a  dinner  in  the  habitation  of 
Mr.  Andry,  the  sons  of  our  host  brought  a  similar  snake,  which 
he  had  found  in  the  garden,  into  the  chamber,  and  I  permitted 
it,  (to  the  terror  of  the  ladies,)  to  creep  into  my  sleeve  upon  the 
naked  skin.  Although  the  head  of  this  snake  had  been  cut  off, 
yet  the  body  still  had  life,  and  wound  itself  so  fast  upon  my  finger 
with  the  tail  that  I  could  carry  it  a  considerable  distance.  There 
are  many  bears  in  the  woods  here,  as  the  wife  of  the  planter  as 
sured  me,  which  make  great  havoc  among  the  hogs  of  the  inhabi 
tants,  but  do  not  attack  men.  The  islands  in  the  river  are  very 
low,  and  covered  thick  with  timber. 

The  weather  had  become  cold,  on  the  31st  of  March  it  became 
warmer.  Nothing  new!  woody  shores,  high  trees,  poplars  and 
sycamores,  with  large  creeping  plants,  mostly  of  wild  vines,  and 
here  and  there  tall  cane.  We  passed  several  low  islands,  which, 
as  well  as  a  distance  on  both  shores,  were  overflowed,  also  some 
solitary,  mean,  and  miserable  dwellings.  The  left  bank  of  the 
river  still  is  in  the  limits  of  the  state  of  Mississippi,  the  right  thus 
far  is  in  Arkansas  Territory;  of  which  Little  Rock  on  the  Ar 
kansas  river  is  the  principal  place,  at  which  many  emigrants  from 
the  eastern  states  have  settled  themselves.  About  ten  o'clock  at 
night  we  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Arkansas.  Of  this,  the 
"  Western  Navigator"  speaks  as  follows: — This  very  beautiful 
river  is  about  three  hundred  and  sixty  yards  wide,  at  its  mouth 
it  is  said  to  be  fifteen  hundred  miles  long.  It  rises  at  forty  de 
grees  north  latitude  in  the  Mexican  mountains,  between  the  river 
La  Platte  on  the  one  side,  and  the  Rio  del  Norte  on  the  other. 
"  This  river,  (as  Stoddart  writes,)  has  a  rocky  bed,  and  the  na 
vigation  of  it  is  much  impeded  by  rapids  and  shoals.  The  exten 
sive  country  through  which  it  rolls,  is  diversified  by  some  moun 
tains,  numerous  elevations,  and  fruitful  vallies,  especially  along 
the  water-courses;  by  scattered  groves  and  copses  of  wood,  and 
by  prairies  or  natural  meadows  of  great  extent,  where  immense 
flocks  of  various  kinds  of  wild  animals  resort  to  graze." 

The  pilot  was  obliged  to  be  very  careful  here,  since  several 
dangerous  "  snags"*  lay  in  the  river  where  we  passed  by  the  re 
mains  of  the  steam-boat  Putnam,  sunk  there.  We  met  the  beau 
tiful  large  steam-boat  Caledonia,  which,  coming  from  Louisville, 
went  down  the  river  in  a  most  imposing  style.  The  mouth  of 

*  In  these  rivers  there  is  a  difference  understood  between  the  two  kinds  of 
trunks  of  trees  which  lie  in  the  stream,  and  are  dangerous  to  vessels,  i.  e. 
snags  and  sawyers.  The  first,  of  which  I  have  spoken  already  in  the  Alabama 
river,  are  fast  at  one  end  in  the  bottom,  and  stand  up  like  piles;  the  others  are 
not  fastened,  by  being  moved  by  the  current  the  upper  end  of  the  tree  takes  a 
sawing  motion,  from  whence  Its  appellation  is  derived. 
VOL.  II.  12 


90 

the  Arkansas  is  distant  five  hundred  and  ninety  and  a  half  miles 
from  New  Orleans,  and  there  are  still  five  hundred  and  fifty-nine 
and  a  half  miles  remaining  to  St.  Louis,  so  that  the  distance  from 
New  Orleans  to  St.  Louis  amounts  to  eleven  hundred  and  fifty- 
eight  miles. 

On  the  1st  of  April,  the  shores  on  both  sides,  as  well  as  most 
of  the  islands,  continued  still  as  low  and  woody  as  those  we  had 
noticed  during  the  preceding  days.  The  ugly  long  moss,  how 
ever  ceased  to  deform  the  trees.  Upon  the  right  shore,  was 
situated  a  little  new  settlement,  Helena,  which,  from  the  appear 
ance  of  its  buildings,  must  be  in  a  tolerably  thriving  condition. 
Towards  evening,  we  stopped  to  wood  on  the  right  bank,  at  a 
small  settlement,  called  Big  Prairie.  It  was  an  open  place,  sur 
rounded  by  forests,  in  which  stood  some  very  handsome  live- 
oaks.  As  it  became  dark,  we  saw  in  the  woods  a  great  number 
of  fire  flies,  swarming  about,  which  for  a  moment  led  us  to  think 
that  there  was  a  smithy,  or  a  high  furnace  in  the  forest,  out  of 
which  the  sparks  were  flying.  The  navigation  during  the  night 
was  very  dangerous  on  account  of  the  number  of  snags :  we  re 
ceived  some  powerful  blows,  and  a  branch,  to  which  we  ap 
proached  too  near  in  the  dark,  forced  its  way  into  one  of  the 
cabins,  and  made  a  considerable  breach.  Luckily  no  one  at  the 
time  was  sleeping  there. 

Upon  the  following  day  we  still  contemplated  no  object  but 
low  and  inundated  shores.  The  human  dwellings,  the  most 
miserable  that  could  be  conceived,  were  placed  along  in  a 
scattered  manner.  As  we  took  in  wood  towards  evening,  we 
were  obliged  to  fasten  to  the  wood-pile,  as  the  whole  plantation 
was  under  water.  The  lights  on  the  left  shore,  which  may  rise 
about  forty  feet,  are  called  the  Chickesa  Bluffs,  of  which  there 
are  reckoned  four  in  a  stretch  of  about  sixty  miles. 

Before  we  reached  the  fourth  Chickesa  Bluff,  we  passed  a 
large  island,  called  President's  Island.  The  river  changes  its 
course  almost  every  year,  and  constantly  washes  the  sand-banks 
away,  while  it  makes  others,  so  that  the  chart  of  the  stream  made 
a  few  years  back,  is  not  to  be  depended  upon  as  a  guide.  The 
passage  in  which  we  sailed  along,  was  at  times  rather  narrow  on 
account  of  the  island,  when  the  river  was  at  least  an  English 
mile  broad.  Upon  the  fourth  Chickesa  Bluff  stood  the  quondam 
Pickering,  consisting  of  a  stockade,  as  were  the  forts,  as 
they  were  called  in  the  Creek  nation.  The  two  block  houses  of 
this  fort  are  still  visible,  of  which  a  plantation  house  has  been 
made.  A  short  mile  above  the  fort,  stands  a  group  of  rather 

serable  houses:  it  is  the  town  of  Memphis.  It  is  seven  hun- 
d  and  sixty -three  miles  from  New  Orleans,  and  three  hundred 
and  eighty-seven  from  St.  Louis. 


91 

Above  this  town  of  great  name,  the  Wolf  river  discharges 
itself  into  the  Mississippi.  The  state  of  Mississippi  has  its 
boundary  here,  and  the  state  of  Tennessee  commences.  It  is 
reported,  that  Miss  Wright,  of  whom  notice  has  been  taken  be 
fore,  has  settled  herself  near  Memphis,  bought  several  negroes, 
and  located  a  plantation.  During  her  travels  in  the  northern . 
states,  she  expressed  so  great  a  disgust  towards  slavery,  that  she; 
could  not  be  persuaded  to  cross  the  Potomac,  to  go  into  Virginia. 
And  now,  she  has  even  purchased  negroes!  It  is  said,  however, 
that  she  has  acted  thus  from  a  philanthropical  designs,  to  follow  a 
proposed  plan  of  setting  the  negroes  free,  and  giving  them  their 
liberty  by  degrees.  I  have  already  given  my  sentiments  at  Bos 
ton,  concerning  Miss  Wright.  All  that  I  have  since  heard  re 
specting  her,  confirms  the  unfavourable  judgment  which  I  then 
communicated.  A  respectable  person,  who  had  become  ac 
quainted  with  her  in  Philadelphia,  said,  that  she  stretched  her 
self  on  a  sofa,  spoke  little,  and  gave  herself  little  or  no  trou 
ble  about  any  one,  now  and  then  breaking  out  in  detached  sen 
tences,  such  as  this,  for  example;  I  believe  that  bears  are  of  more 
value  than  men.  At  Memphis,  she  will,  I  have  no  doubt,  en 
joy  many  opportunities  of  confirming  herself  in  practical  expe 
rience  of  the  truth  of  this  maxim.  In  the  evening,  we  were 
amused  again  with  the  great  numbers  of  fire  flies,  which  filled 
the  woods. 

On  the  3rd  of  April,  we  were  embarrassed  .by  our  fire  wood 
giving  out.  The  banks  were  overflowed,  and  there  was  no  regu 
lar  landing  place  to  be  obtained.  At  the  place  called  the  new 
cut-off,  we  had  a  very  powerful  current  against  us,  which  we 
overcame  with  great  trouble  and  waste  of  time.  The  wood  was 
so  far  gone,  that  old  barrels  were  broke  up,  and  a  mast  and  seve 
ral  boards  were  obliged  to  be  sawed  for  a  supply.  This  new 
cut  had  formed  itself  in  February  1822,  and  saves  the  vessels  a 
circuit  of  thirteen  miles.  It  may  be  observed  on  the  chart,  what 
a  large  bend  the  Mississippi  makes  here.  By  degrees  it  washed 
the  small  isthmus  of  land,  which  intervened  between  the  bends, 
and  formed  itself  a  new  bed  directly  through.  This  neck  of  land, 
through  which  this  new  cut  passes,  is  hardly  half  a  mile  wide.  It 
is  but  a  short  time  since  the  steam-boats  first  ventured  to  take 
this  short  route:  for  the  remains  of  the  trees  washed  away  are 
still  visible,  and  this  admonishes  the  navigator  to  be  on  his  guard. 

After  we  had  passed  this  strait,  which  is  distant  eight  hundred 
and  sixty-nine  miles  from  New  Orleans,  we  stopped  on  the  Bright 
bank,  to  provide  ourselves  with  wood.  We  embraced  this  op 
portunity  to  go  ashore  for  a  walk,  and  into  the  woods.  A  young 
man  of  our  vessel,  killed  a  very  handsome  snake  in  the  forest. 
It  was  one  and  a  half  foot  long,  whitish,  with  coal-black,  edged 


92 

spots  on  the  back,  the  belly  white  with  black  stripes.  *  Farther 
on,  a  black  eagle  with  white  head  and  tail  was  shot.  We  saw  a 
similar  one  in  the  afternoon  fly  long  before  our  boat,  he  had  found 
a  snake  which  he  held  in  his  talons.  We  met  with  several  plo 
vers  also.  After  sunset,  we  stopt  at  the  right  bank  for  the  se 
cond  time,  to  obtain  more  wood  for  the  night.  This  place  was 
called  Point  Pleasant,  and  there  were  about  it  several  small 
plantations;  one  of  which  served  as  a  trade-deposit  with  the  In 
dians.  The  Indians  bring  deer,  buck,  muskrat  and  other  skins, 
and  barter  them  for  arms,  ammunition,  woollen  blankets,  stamped 
calicoes,  &c.  one  of  our  travelling  companions,  Mr.  Vallais  em 
ployed  himself  in  this  trade.  We  accompanied  him  to  the  depot, 
whence  he  brought  a  whole  cart-load  of  pressed  skins  to  the  boat, 
to  take  up  with  him.  *> 

On  the  right  hand  shore  the  Arkansas  territory  ceases,  and 
the  new  state  of  Missouri  begins.  This  was  first  received  into 
the  Union  two  years  since,  and  with  truly  great  difficulty,  and 
after  long  debate;  as  congress  was  at  issue  whether  the  state 
should  be  suffered  to  permit  slavery  within  its  limits  or  not.  The 
state  at  length,  however,  obtained  that  privilege. 
^  Six  miles  below  Point  Pleasant,  the  little  town  of  New  Madrid 
lies  upon  the  right  bank,  nine  hundred  and  twelve  miles  from 
New  Orleans.  We  past  by  it  in  the  night,  to  my  great  regret; 
for  I  should  have  liked  to  have  seen  the  remains  of  the  violent 
earthquake,  which  prevailed  here  in  the  years  1811  and  1812. 
There  are  great  sink-holes  to  be  seen  here  yet,  in  which  trees 
are  buried.  The  soil  upon  which  the  town  itself  stood,  has 
sunk  many  feet,  and  the  place  has  suffered  very  much.  New 
Madrid  was  a  Spanish  settlement,  and  so  long  as  the  whole  right 
bank  of  the  Mississippi,  that  is,  from  1763  to  1803,  belonged  to 
the  Spaniards,  under  the  name  of  Louisiana,  there  was  a  Spanish 
military  post  there.  On  the  left  bank  of  the  river  this  evening,  we 
left  the  jurisdiction  of  Tennessee,  and  entered  that  of  Kentucky. 

On  the  4th  of  April,  it  was  exactly  one  year,  since  I  left  the 
city  of  Ghent,  and  my  family.  The  time  has  passed  over  ra 
pidly  with  me,  I  have  seen  many  remarkable  things,  my  mind 
has  been  kept  on  a  constant  stretch;  nevertheless,  that  which 
passed  more  than  a  year  ago  is  as  present,  as  if  performed  but  a 
few  days  since.  If  the  great  Architect  of  the  universe  shall 
conduct  me  in  health  home  to  those  I  love,  which  I  have  prayed 
for,  then  shall  the  4th  of  April  be  a  festival-day  in  my  family 
as  long  as  I  live. 

Both  shores  of  the  river,  appeared  in  the  forenoon  just  as  they 
appeared  during  the  last  days.  Only  we  remarked  two  eleva- 

*  Coluber  coccineus. 


93 

tions  on  the  left  bank,  of  which  one  was  called  Chalk  Bank,  the 
other  Iron  Bank.  About  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  found 
ourselves  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  river.  The  river  is 
here  very  broad,  and  both  streams  with  their  low  banks,  grown 
thick  with  wood,  puts  one  in  mind  of  the  Mecklenburg  lakes. 

The  Western  Navigator  says,  in  a  note  concerning  the  Ohio : 
"The  Ohio  arises  from  the  junction  of  the  Alleghany  with 
the  Monongahela  at  Pittsburgh,  the  first  is  about  three  hundred 
and  seventy,  the  latter  near  five  hundred  yards  broad  at  their 
mouths.  After  a  west-south-westerly  course  of  nine  hundred 
and  fifty-two  miles  the  Ohio  empties  itself  into  the  Mississippi 
about  in  the  degree  of  north  latitude  thirty-seven.  It  changes 
its  breadth  from  four  hundred  to  fourteen  hundred  yards.  At 
Cincinnati  it  is  eight  hundred  and  forty-seven  yards  wide,  which 
may  be  considered  its  medium.  Its  course  is  gentle,  not  broken  by 
falls  or  rapids,  except  at  Louisville.  It  is  inferior  to  few  streams 
in  the  convenience  of  communication  from  one  part  to  the  other, 
especially  if  the  operation  of  canaling  the  falls,  and  erecting 
of  locks,  which  has  long  been  contemplated,  be  carried  through 
with  success.  The  height  of  the  falls  is  estimated  at  twenty-two 
and  a  half  feet,  the  length  of  the  descent  two  miles.  The  greatest 
extremes  of  falling  in  the  height  of  the  river,  are  between  Pitts 
burgh  and  the  Mississippi;  they  lessen  as  the  river  is  descended, 
and  the  medium  height  is  frum  twenty-five  to  thirty  feet.  At 
the  lowest  state  of  water,  the  river  is  fordable  in  many  places 
above  the  falls. 

The  mouth  of  the  Ohio  is  nine  hundred  and  seventy-seven 
miles  from  New  Orleans,  and  one  hundred  and  seventy-three 
from  St.  Louis.  Two  steam-boats,  the  Friendship  and  Philadel 
phia,  which  had  remained  near  us  all  the  way  from  New  Orleans, 
here  left  us,  and  ascended  the  Ohio.  The  Mississippi  continues 
still  very  broad  above  the  Ohio,  and  contains  many  islands. 
From  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  the  left  shore  of  the  river  belongs 
to  the  state  of  Illinois,  the  right,  as  already  observed,  to  the 
state  of  Missouri.  The  banks  of  the  Mississippi  begin  to  be 
something  higher,  and  at  times  still  more  rocky.  We  stopt  at 
a  couple  of  solitary  houses  on  the  right  bank  for  wood.  During 
this  halt  I  went  into  the  wood  lying  back,  to  walk,  and  remarked 
several  sycamores  of  an  uncommon  height  and  stoutness;  I  be 
lieve  I  can  affirm  that  one  of  them  was  twenty  feet  in  circum 
ference.  We  observed  from  the  cooler  air,  and  the  less  preco 
cious  vegetation,  that  we  were  again  in  a  more  northern  climate. 
A  few  of  the  trees  were  in  leaf,  others  were  blossoming,  which 
in  New  Orleans,  occurred  six  weeks  ago.  Near  the  dwellings  were 
large  orchards,  in  which  the  apple-tree  was  in  blossom.  On  the 


94 

bank  grew  arbres  de  judec,  whose  blossoms  resemble  those  of  the 
peach-tree,  and  near  them  blossoming  white-thorns. 

The  water  in  the  Ohio  had  risen  very  much  for  some  days,  and 
poured  with  force  into  the  Mississippi;  this  circumstance  assisted 
our  progress,  since  above  the  junction  we  had  a  weaker  stream 
to  contend  with.  At  ten  o'clock  at  night  we  reached  a  little  town 
on  the  right  bank,  Cape  Girardeau,  where  Mr.  Vallais  had  some 
goods  to  land.  This  place  is  situated  on  a  high  bank,  and  ap 
pears  to  be  thriving  and  well  built,  in  a  fruitful  and  tolerably 
populous  district  On  account  of  the  numerous  snags  under  wa 
ter  and  the  sawyers,  the  navigation  during  the  night  would  have 
been  dangerous,  we  therefore  spent  the  night  at  Cape  Girardeau. 
There  are  here  several  examples  of  unlucky  steam-boats.  The 
place  is  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  miles  from  St.  Louis. 

On  the  5th  of  April  we  were  set  in  motion  before  daybreak, 
and  stopped  towards  morning  at  a  group  of  five  wooden  houses, 
called  the  town  of  Bainbridge,  one  hundred  and  twenty-two  miles 
from  St.  Louis,  on  the  right  bank.  Again  goods  were  landed, 
and  wood  taken  in.  In  the  outset  of  our  day's  trip,  the  shores 
became  higher.  Upon  the  right  side  we  saw  sandstone  rock, 
probably  forty  feet  high;  they  were  partly  worn  with  water,  and 
had  singular  forms.  One  of  these  rocks,  which  stands  alone,  is 
called  the  Devil's  tea-table.  Farther  the  river  is  compressed  in 
its  course  between  two  ledges  of  rock,  of  which  one  is  called  the 
Devil's  bake-oven,  where  several  steam-boats  have  gone  down. 
The  current  is  here  very  strong.  On  the  right  bank  rises  a  soli 
tary  rock  named  the  Tower,  resembling  very  much  an  old  for 
tress.  It  must  be  about  one  hundred  feet  in  circumference,  and 
one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high.  The  river  became  by  degrees 
narrower.  The  vegetation  continued  still  more  backward.  To 
wards  evening,  we  encountered  a  very  heavy  storm,  that  lasted, 
with  severe  thunder,  rain  and  hail,  for  a  couple  of  hours.  On 
this  account  we  could  advance  no  farther  without  danger,  and 
remained  during  the  night  on  the  right  bank  near  the  Saline 
River's  mouth,  sixty-nine  miles  and  a  half  distant  from  St.  Louis. 
On  this  river  considerable  and  profitable  salt  works  are  established. 

On  the  sixth  of  April,  we  moved  again  before  daybreak.  The 
storm  of.  yesterday  had  cooled  the  air  very  perceptibly.  After 
we  had  advanced  five  miles  farther,  we  stopt  on  the  left  bank. 
An  establishment  was  placed  there,  Simonton's  Warehouse,  where 
the  goods  intended  for  Kaskaskia  were  landed,  which  is  a  town 
in  the  state  of  Illinois,  lying  on  the  river  Ouwa  or  Kaskaskia,  two 
miles  from  the  warehouse:  we  soon  got  under  way  again..  The 
country  on  the  right  bank  was  very  well  cultivated.  On  a  small 
eminence  we  beheld  the  little  town  of  St  Gencvieve.  This  place 


95 

is  one  mile  distant  from  the  river,  on  a  little  stream  called  Ga- 
bane  creek.  Mr.  Vallais,  and  another  of  our  fellow  travellers, 
Mr.  Rozier,  a  native  of  Nantes,  and  established  as  a  merchant  in 
St.  Genevieve,  landed  their  goods  purchased  in  New  Orleans  here, 
and  took  leave  of  us. 

We  stopped  several  hours.  The  river  takes  a  new  direction 
against  the  right  bank,  wears  it  out  in  hollows,  and  often  tears 
away  whole  fields,  by  which  the  left  bank  profits.  We  accom 
panied  our  fellow  voyagers  to  the  town,  which  contains  about 
two  thousand  inhabitants,  of  both  complexions.  The  road  ran 
between  fields  of  Indian  corn,  and  then  over  a  bridge  on  Gabane 
creek.  The  place  has  regular  streets,  but  has  rather  a  poor  ap 
pearance.  I  remarked  only  three  substantial  houses:  one  of  them 
stands  on  an  open  square,  and  is  the  court-house.  Not  far  from 
this  is  the  prison,  a  box  framed  of  strong  timbers.  Upon  the 
eminence  on  which  the  place  slopes  down,  stands  a  massive  edi 
fice,  which  indeed  had  a  roof  upon  it,  but  was  without  doors  or 
windows,  and  threatened  to  fall  in.  It  was  destined  for  an  academy, 
but  for  want  of  funds  the  plan  was  not  completed.  The  place  re 
ceives  great  advantage  from  the  neighbouring  lead  mines.  The 
navigation  near  St.  Genevieve  is  extremely  dangerous,  from  the 
snags  lying  under  the  water.  Two  steam-boats  have  been  sunk 
here,  the  Franklin  and  the  Cincinnati.  The  accident  of  the  last 
took  place  when  Prince  Paul  ofWirtemburg  was  on  board.  I 
noticed  here  several  pieces  of  a  very  brittle  sandstone,  found  in 
the  vicinity  of  St.  Genevieve,  and  sent  as  an  article  of  trade  to 
Pittsburgh,  where  it  is  used  in  the  manufacture  of  glass. 

Before  we  proceeded  on  our  voyage,  we  received  the  visit  of 
a  Shawnee  Indian  on  board,  a  well  looking  man  of  about  thirty 
years  of  age,  who  spoke  tolerably  good  English.  He  travelled 
on  horse-back  with  his  gun,  hunted  on  the  way,  and  sold  his  ve- 
ni-Son.  His  dress  was  very  similar  to  that  of  the  Creek  Indians. 
Between  twelve  and  one  o'clock,  we  were  again  under  way. 
The  right  bank  continued  rocky,  and  contained  below  very  singu 
lar  'shapes  and  excavations,  which  reminded  me  of  the  rocks  on 
the  Inn,  and  the  one  called  Buckfarth  Castle. 

About  ten  miles  above  St.  Genevieve  an  island  lies  on  the  left 
shore,  called  Fort  Chartres,  where  at  the  time  of  the  first  French 
establishment,  a  fort  of  this  name  was  standing.  It  was  never 
theless  partly  torn  away  by  the  current,  and  at  present,  has  va 
nished  entirely.  We  passed  several  islands,  of  which  three  are 
called  the  Plattan  islands.  In  the  woods  on  these  we  saw  many 
birds  with  parti-coloured  feathers,  the  largest  among  them  were 
cormorants.  About  5  o'clock  in  the  evening,  we  reached  Her- 
culaneum,  a  little  town  on  the  right  shore.  The  river  Joachim, 
which  has  been  turned  into  Owashing  creek,  which  here  flows 


96 

into  the  Mississippi,  divides  the  place  into  two  parts.  Hercu- 
laneum  is  thirty  miles  from  St.  Louis,  is  very  small,  but  con 
tains  several  decent  houses,  and  supports  itself  by  the  lead  estab 
lishments,  furnished  by  the  mines  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  by 
two  shot  factories.  The  rocks,  which  form  the  right  bank  of 
the  river,  open  themselves  here  to  let  the  Owashing  pass  through, 
which  flows  in  a  narrow,  truly  picturesque  valley,  which  again 
recalled  the  Ilmthal  to  my  mind.  Looking  from  the  river,  Her- 
culancum  is  situated  between  two  high  crags  of  rock,  in  the 
back  ground  woody  heights  crowned  with  rocks,  and  appears 
very  handsome.  On  each  summit  of  the  rocks,  stands  what  is 
called  a  shot  tower.  The  material  of  the  rock  here  is  wacke, 
in  which  there  are  many  flints.  We  stopt  here  to  take  in  wood. 

The  7th  of  April,  we  continued  our  voyage  about  five  o'clock, 
and  reached  St.  Louis  about  eleven  o'clock  forenoon.  Thus  had 
we  accomplished  a  distance  of  1150  miles  in  less  than  thirteen 
days  against  the  current,  which  before  the  introduction  of  the 
steam-boat  required  at  least  three  months,  a  new  testimony  of 
the  importance  of  this  noble  discovery,  so  honourable  to  the 
human  intellect. 

We  enquired  in  several  houses  for  accommodation,  but  found 
the  most  of  them  too  bad;  and  remained  at  length  in  the  Missouri 
Hotel,  a  tolerably  moderate  kind  of  an  inn,  where  we  were 
obliged  to  house  ourselves  very  narrowly. 

St.  Louis  has  existed  since  the  year  1763,  and  was  settled  by 
French  and  Canadians.  In  that  year  when  Canada  with  the  left 
bank  of  the  Illinois  and  Mississippi  were  ceded  to  England, 
these  people  were  not  willing  to  be  English  subjects,  and  with 
drew  to  the  right  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  which  then  was  under 
the  dominion  of  France,  but  soon  after  was  given  up  to  Spain. 
The  emigrants  built  St.  Louis  and  St.  Charles  on  the  Missouri, 
as  well  as  several  other  little  places:  they  lived  a  long  time  cut 
off  from  the  civilized  world,  and  surrounded  by  Indians.  They 
effected  .but  little  in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil,  had  almost  no  ag 
riculture,  and  supported  themselves  by  hunting.  They  would 
at  length  have  become  savages,  had  not  this  territory,  with 
Louisiana,  in  the  year  1803,  came  into  the  possession  of  the 
United  States.  Since  that  time  communication  and  roads  have 
been  opened  between  the  United  States  and  St.  Louis;  many 
Americans  and  foreigners  removed  here,  and  brought  their  pro 
perty  and  their  industry  with  them:  and  by  the  introduction  of 
the  use  of  steam-boats,  a  new  and  easy  intercourse  was  opened  with 
the  shores  of  the  Ohio,  and  with  New  Orleans,  that  important 
depot  of  the  western  states.  A  glance  at  the  map  of  the  United 
States  shows  what  an  interesting  place  St.  Louis  is  destined  to 
become,  when  the  white  population  has  spread  itself  more  west- 


97 

wardly  from  the  Mississippi,  and  up  along  the  Missouri  river. 
Perhaps  it  may  yet  become  the  capital  of  a  great  nation. 

St.  Louis  lies  upon  a  rather  high  rocky  foundation  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Mississippi,  and  stretches  itself  out,  nearly  a  mile  in 
length,  in  the  direction  of  the  river.  The  most  of  the  houses 
have  a  garden  towards  the  water,  the  earth  is  supported  by  walls, 
so  that  the  gardens  form  so  many  terraces.  The  city  contains 
about  four  thousand  inhabitants.  It  consists  of  one  long  main 
street,  running  parallel  with  the  river,  from  which  several  side 
streets  run  to  the  heights  behind  the  city.  Here  single  houses 
point  out  the  space,  where  another  street,  parallel  with  the  main 
street  can  one  day  be  built.  The  generality  of  the  houses  arc  new, 
built  of  brick  two  stories  high;  some  are  of  rough  stone,  and 
others  of  wood  and  clay  in  the  Spanish  taste,  resembling  the  old 
houses  in  New  Orleans.  Round  the  city,  along  the  heights,  for 
merly  ran  a  wall,  but  it  is  now  taken  away.  At  the  corners  stood 
massive  round  guard-towers,  the  walls  of  which  one  still  can  sec. 

In  a  northern  direction  from  the  city,  are  seven  artificial  hil 
locks,  in  two  rows,  which  form  a  parallelogram.  They  belong 
to  the  much  talked  of  Indian  mounds  and  fortifications,  of  which 
numbers  are  found  on  the  shores  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi, 
and  which  are  dispersed  over  these  regions  from  Lake  Erie  to 
New  Mexico.  There  exists  neither  documents  nor  traditions 
concerning  the  erection  of  these  works,  or  of  the  tribe  of  people 
who  erected  them.  In  some,  a  great  quantity  of  human  bones 
have  been  discovered,  in  others,  on  the  contrary,  nothing.  This 
double  row  near  St.  Louis  has  not  yet  been  examined. 

Soon  after  our  arrival,  we  made  some  visits  to  deliver  the  in 
troductory  letters  given  me  by  Bishop  Dubourg.  We  called  first 
upon  General  Clark,  governor  of  the  state  of  Missouri.  The 
general  was  absent  in  Washington.  We  were,  however,  re 
ceived  in  a  very  friendly  manner  by  his  wife  and  daugh 
ters.  Governor  Clark  is  moreover  the  well-known  fellow  travel 
ler  of  the  late  Governor  Lewis,  in  the  expedition  to  the  mouth 
of  Columbia  river,  on  the  Pacific  ocean,  in  the  years  1804,  1805, 
and  1806.  We  afterwards  went  to  visit  Mr.  Choteau,  who  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  St.  Louis,  who  was  not  at  home. 

As  we  were  so  near  the  Missouri,  we  were  unwilling  to  leave 
this  part  of  the  country,  without  at  least  looking  at  that  interest 
ing  river;  for  St.  Charles,  a  little  town  on  the  left  bank  of  the 
Missouri,  which  empties  into  the  Mississippi  some  twenty  miles 
above  St.  Louis,  is  but  twenty  miles  distant  from  this  city. 
Not  to  lose  any  time,  we  determined  to  go  there  this  very 
day.  We  therefore  hired  a  little  two-horse  carriage,  and 
with  it,  I  and  Mr.  Hottinguer,  and  Mr.  Huygens,  began  ^our 
journey  in  the  afternoon.  At  first,  all  went  right.  The 

VOL.  II.  13 


98 

road  ran  through  an  uneven  prairie,  upon  which  many  cattle 
pastured.  After  a  ride  of  eight  miles,  we  came  into  a  forest, 
which  lasted  all  the  way  to  the  Missouri.  The  country  was 
pretty  hilly,  the  forest  consisted  of  green-leaved  timber,  oaks, 
and  various  nut-bearing  trees,  of  Canadian  poplars,  and  much 
sumach.  On  most  of  the  trees,  climbing  plants  mounted  over 
them,  wild  vines,  and  ivy.  There  was  hardly  any  sign  of  the 
spring  here  yet:  the  vegetation  was  still  as  backward  as  at  that 
period  of  the  year  in  Flanders.  This  made  no  very  friendly 
impression  upon  us,  who  had  just  arrived  from  New  Orleans, 
where  it  had  long  been  summer.  In  the  woods  we  found  several 
solitary  inclosures,  made  by  worm-fences.  Wheat,  oats,  and 
Indian  corn  were  raised  here.  The  cattle,  and  the  numerous 
swine  bivouacked  in  the  woods,  and  were  obliged  to  take  care 
of  themselves.  There  are  a  number  of  emigrants  from  the 
eastern  states,  also  Germans,  established  here  in  Missouri,  who 
have  purchased  the  land  from  government  for  one  dollar  and  a 
half  per  acre,  and  made  it  arable.  Most  of  them,  however,  repent 
of  this  proceeding;  on  account  of  the  small  population  of  this 
state,  aad  the  want  of  a  market,  they  cannot  dispose  of  their 
produce.  We  also  passed  a  little  village  "  the  station,"  and 
afterwards  had  nearly  been  lost  in  the  forest,  as  our  coachman 
knew  nothing  of  the  road.  The  road  was  marshy  and  very 
bad;  and  to  complete  our  misfortune  the  night  shut  in.  One  of 
our  companions  betook  himself  to  his  knowledge  of  astronomy, 
and  wished  to  steer  us  by  the  pole  star.  I  trusted  more  to  my 
judgment  of  localities,  and  opposed  all  learned  demonstrations. 
My  other  companion  voted  with  me,  and  therefore  we  proceeded 
by  my  guidance,  and  I  had  the  glory  of  finding  the  true  road, 
for  we  arrived  at  half-past  ten  o'clock  at  night,  on  the  right  bank 
of  the  Missouri,  opposite  St.  Charles,  at  Chauvin's  ferry. 

The  way  had  latterly  become  so  bad,  that  to  prevent  accidents, 
we  proceeded  on  foot.  It  was  too  late  to  cross  the  river  to  St. 
Charles;  wo  therefore  had  a  frugal  supper  prepared  for  us  at  the 
ferry -house,  and  passed  the  night  in  a  little  garret-room.  The 
country  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  confluence  of  the  Missouri 
and  Mississippi,  cannot  in  any  manner  be  healthy  ;  in  the  summer 
bilious  fevers  prevail,  and  in  the  winter,  what  they  call  the  in 
fluenza,  which  has  shown  itself  in  most  of  the  northern  states, 
it  consists  of  a  very  severe  cough,  joined  with  rheumatic  symp 
toms.  If  the  disease  be  neglected,  death  may  be  the  consequence. 
To  my  no  small  alarm  and  dissatisfaction,  one  of  our  chamber  as 
sociates  was  very  much  affected  with  this  influenza,  and  another 
stranger,  who  slept  in  the  next  apartment,  was  visited  by  this 
malady  likewise ;  so  that  we  were  fated  to  hear  a  most  annoy  ins; 
cough  duett. 


99 

On  the  next  morning  we  crossed  early  to  the  left  bank  of  the 
Missouri,  where  St  Charles  was  situated,  in  a  small  canoe.  The 
river  is  here  three-quarters  of  a  mile  broad,  has  excessively  thick 
and  muddy  water,  and  a  very  powerful  current  The  right  bank 
is  rather  level,  yet  so  high  that  it  experiences  no  inundation, 
while  the  left  is  pretty  hilly.  St.  Charles,  which  has  the  same 
origin  with  St.  Louis,  lies  at  the  foot  of  a  hill;  it  consists  of  a 
single  street  running  parallel  with  the  river,  and  is  mostly  built 
of  brick.  These  houses  are  for  the  greater  part  built  by  the  Ame 
ricans  who  have  come  here  in  later  times,  and  are  inhabited  by 
them  as  the  most  respectable  portion  of  the  inhabitants.  The  Ca 
nadian,  (or  as  they  are  called  here,  from  their  original  parentage 
and  their  language,  the  French,)  are  less  industrious  than  the 
Americans,  and  occupy  themselves  of  preference  in  hunting;  they 
live  in  smaller,  older  houses,  at  the  commencement  and  termina 
tion  of  the  street.  The  place  may  contain  one  thousand  inhabi 
tants,  who  nearly  all  belong  to  the  Catholic  faith,  and  have  a 
small  wooden  church.  I  spoke  to  the  present  pastor,  Verhegghen, 
a  native  of  Ghent,  a  young  man,  who,  with  the  Abbe  Maenhout 
in  Pensacola,  and  many  other  young  students  from  Flanders,  ac 
companied  Bishop  Dubourg  on  his  return  from  Europe.  Abbe 
Verhegghen  told  me,  that  eight  Flanders  clergymen  were  ap 
pointed  either  as  pastors  through  the  state,  or  placed  in  the  semi 
nary  five  miles  from  St.  Genevieve. 

St.  Charles  has  no  remarkable  exterior,  and  the  streets  are  not 
paved.  We  had  it  in  contemplation  to  go  to  an  eminence  lying 
below  the  town,  "les  Mamelles,"  where  it  was  said  there  was  a 
view  of  the  Missouri  and  Mississippi  both  at  once.  The  road 
carried  us  through  a  wood,  which  begins  below  St  Charles.  We 
had  no  guide,  lost  our  way,  and  came  at  last  to  a  couple  of  lonely 
cabins.  These  cabins  were  inhabited  by  Canadians,  who  took  me 
for  a  Catholic  pastor.  We  learned  to  our  dismay,  that  far  from 
the  "Mamelles,"  we  had  six  miles  between  us  and  St  Charles. 
In  this  manner  we  took  a  sentimental  walk  of  twelve  miles  for 
nothing.  Luckily  for  us  we  had  fine  weather.  We  had  con 
stantly  remained  in  the  vicinity  of  the  river,  the  return  way  took 
us  somewhat  differently,  and  we  came  to  a  great  marshy  meadow, 
from  which  we  could  distinguish  the  heights  on  the  left  bank  of 
the  Mississippi.  The  forest  is  rather  thick,  with  the  same  trees 
before-mentioned,  and  with  large  and  very  thick  sycamores.  Not 
a  sign  of  herbage  was  to  be  seen.  In  the  forest,  however,  there 
were  beautiful  birds,  a  pair  were  of  a  dazzling  sky-blue,  and  several 
paroquets,  similar  to  those  I  had  seen  on  the  river  Alabama.  For 
snakes,  and  especially  for  rattlesnakes,  which  are  found  in  great 
numbers  here  in  summer,  it  was  now  too  cold. 

Exceeding  fatigued  with  our  useless  promenade,  we  crossed 


100 

tjie  Missouri  immediately  from  St.  Charles  to  Chauvin's  ferry, 
where  we  had  slept.  We  took  our  dinner  here,  and  set  out  on 
the  road  to  St.  Louis  in  our  little  light  carriage,  about  four  o'clock. 
We  got  over  the  worst  part  of  the  road  by  daylight.  We  were 
surprised  at  the  great  numbers  of  partridges,  upon  which  we 
came,  and  which  were  so  tame,  that  they  would  hardly  run  out 
of  our  way:  they  remained  sitting  within  ten  paces  of  us.  As  the 
night  overtook  us,  we  reached  the  better  part  of  the  road.  We 
passed  a  bivouack  of  an  emigrant  family,  and  arrived  in  St.- Louis 
without  accident,  in  a  very  cold  night  about  ten  o'clock. 

The  9th  of  April  found  us  plunged  into  the  midst  of  winter.  It 
never  ceased  snowing  and  freezing  during  the  whole  day.  Except 
a  slight  fall  of  it  that  I  had  experienced  at  Harper's  ferry,  in  the 
month  of  November,  1825,  this  was  the  first  snow  that  I  hap 
pened  to  witness  in  America.  We  could  not  make  up  our  minds 
to  go  abroad,  but  preferred  sitting  at  the  fire-side,  and  entertained 
ourselves  with  past  happy  days.  Later,  however,  we  paid  Mrs. 
Clark  a  visit,  and  spent  the  evening  at  her  house. 

The  steam-boat  Mexico,  Captain  Clark,  from  the  Prairie  des 
Chiens  on  the  upper  Mississippi,  arrived  this  day,  in  the  after 
noon,  at  St.  Louis,  fired  a  cannon  to  announce  it,  and  intended 
to  sail  the  next  morning  down  the  Mississippi,  and  up  the  Ohio 
to  Louisville  and  Pittsburgh.  I  determined  to  embrace  this  op 
portunity  to  arrive  in  the  Ohio,  and  then  visit  New  Harmony  on 
the  Wabash.  My  design  at  first  was  to  have  gone  by  land  through 
the  state  of  Illinois,  to  Vincennes,  and  from  there  down  the  Wa 
bash  to  New  Harmony.  From  information  since  obtained,  this 
road  would  be  almost  bottomless  at  this  season  of  the  year,  seve 
ral  rivers  were  to  be  crossed,  and  those  provided  with  miserable 
ferries.  For  these  reasons,  I  declined  the  journey  by  land,  in 
which,  without  such  considerations,  there  was  nothing  interesting 
to  attract  attention. 

I  had  also  felt  a  desire  to  visit  the  lead-mines,  of  which  the 
most  important  lie  at  Potosi,  sixty  miles  from  St.  Louis,  which 
are  almost  daily  increasing  in  consequence.  I  declined  to  join  in 
this  excursion,  since  the  journey  there  would  take  at  least  two 
days,  the  return  as  much,  and  besides  the  road  was  described  as 
wretched  in  the  highest  degree.  I  was  told,  that  the  lead  ore 
lies  almost  on  the  surface,  and  is  so  extensive,  that  it  is  not  worth 
the  trouble  to  dig  for  it  deep.  If  therefore  a  shaft  is  pushed  so 
deep  as  to  strike  water,  this  shaft  is  abandoned  and  another 
opened.  This  easy  method  of  working  will  last  until  the  owner 
has  laboured  over  every  part  of  his  territory,  then  he  will  be 
obliged  to  have  recourse  to  water-pumps,  and  steam-engines. 
Un  *ever  river,  on  the  upper  Mississippi,  are  also  very  rich  lead- 
works.  These,  united  to  the  works  at  Potosi,  have  delivered, 


101 

during  nine  months,  eight  hundred  and  eighty-seven  thousand 
two  hundred  and  ninety-eight  pounds  of  lead;  the  amount  of 
per  centage  which  the  United  States  receive  from  these  works 
during  that  time,  was  a  hundred  and  four  thousand  one  hun 
dred  and  thirteen  pounds.  It  is  supposed,  that  in  the  next 
year  the  mine-works  will  produce  from  three  to  four  million 
pounds  of  lead,  which  must  be  three  hundred  and  fifty  thou 
sand  pounds  for  the  share  of  the  United  States.  It  is  but  a  few 
years  since  these  mines  were  worked. 

On  the  10th  of  April,  we  paid  yet  some  other  visits,  before  our 
departure.     First,  to  Major  Biddle  of  the  sixth  regiment  of  in 
fantry.     He  is  a  brother  to  Commodore  Biddle,  and  also  of  the 
President  of  the  United  States  Bank,  in  Philadelphia.   His  wife, 
educated  in  France,  does  not  appear  particularly  delighted  with 
these  out  posts  of  civilization.   We  then  went  to  see  Mrs.  Clark, 
who,  through  the  secretary  of  her  husband,  Mr.  Alexander,  ex 
hibited  to  us  the  museum  collected  by  the  governor  on  his  tra 
vels,  and  since  considerably  augmented.     Mr.  Alexander  showed 
us  articles  of  Indian  clothing  of  different  kinds,  and  various  ma 
terials, — except  the  leather,  the  larger  part  of  these  materials 
were  American,  or  rather  entirely  European  in  their  origin.    A 
single  garment  alone,  was  made  by  the  Cherokees  of  cotton, 
which  was  pulled,  spun,  wove  on  a  loom,  made  by  an  Indian, 
and  even  dyed  blue  by  them.     Besides,  several  weapons  of  dif 
ferent  tribes,  wooden  tomahawks,  or  battle-axes,  in  one  of  them 
was  a  sharp  piece  of  iron  to  strike  into  the  skulls  of  their  prison 
ers;  another  made  of  elks-horn,  bows  of  elks-horn  and  of  wood, 
spears,  quivers  with  arrows,  a  spear  head  of  an  Indian  of  the 
Columbia  river,  hewed  out  of  flint,  a  water-proof  basket  of  the 
same  people,  in  which  cooking  can  be  performed,  several  kinds 
of  tobacco  pipes,  especially  the  calumet,  or  great  pipe  of  peace. 
The  heads  of  this  pipe  are  cut  out  of  a  sort  of  argillaceous  earth, 
or  serpentine;  in  time  of  war  the  spot  where  this  stone  is  dug 
out,  is  regarded  as  neutral,  and  hostile  parties,  who  meet  each 
other  at  that  place,  cannot  engage  in  any  thing  inimical  against 
each  other.     The  pipe  which  the  commissioners  of  the  United 
States  use  at  treaties  with  the  Indians,  has  a  heavy  silver  head, 
and  a  peculiarly  handsome  ornamented  wooden  stem.     Farther: 
Mr.  Alexander  showed  us  the  medals  which  the  Indian  chiefs 
have  received  at  different  periods  from  the  Spanish,  English  and 
American  governments,  and  the  portraits  of  various  chiefs,  who 
have  been  at  St.  Louis  to  conclude  treaties  with  the  governor, 
who  is  also  Indian  agent.  Among  the  remarkable  things  in  natural 
history,  we  noticed  an  alligator,  eight  feet  long;  a  pelican;  the 
horns  of  a  wild  goat,  shot  by  the  governor  in  his  tour  among 


102 

the  rocky  mountains;  the  horns  of  a  mountain-ram,  and  those  of 
an  elk,  several  bearskins,  among  others,  of  the  white  bear;  buf 
falo,  elk,  of  the  skunk,  which  were  sowed  together  in  a  robe, 
skins  of  martins,  ferrets,  &c.  &c.  moreover,  several  petrifactions 
of  wood,  and  animal  subjects,  among  others,  of  elephants  teeth,  a 
piece  of  rock-salt,  tolerably  white,  yet  not  shooting  in  crystals, 
as  the  English;  various  crystals;  a  large  piece  of  rock  crystal; 
very  handsome  small  agates,  which  are  here  taken  for  cornelians, 
&c.  Among  the  curiosities,  the  most  remarkable  were  two  ca 
noes,  the  one  of  animal-hide,  the  other  of  tree-bark,  a  peace-belt, 
which  consists  of  a  white  girdle,  set  with  glass  beads  two  hands 
breadth  wide;  farther,  snow  shoes,  nets  which  are  \ drawn  over 
an  oval  frame,  also  the  rackets,  which  they  use  in  playing  their 
game  of  ball,  &c.  &c. 

After  the  examination  of  this  interesting  collection,  we  paid 
our  visit  to  Mr.  Choteau.  This  is  a  venerable  old  man  of  eighty 
years,  a  native  of  New  Orleans.  He  told  us  that  at  the  founding 
of  St.  Louis,  he  felled  the  first  tree.  His  house  resembling  in 
architecture  the  old  government-house  in  New  Orleans,  was  the 
first  substantial  building  erected  here.  The  conversation  with 
this  aged  man,  who  received  us  like  a  patriarch,  surrounded  by 
his  descendants,  was  very  interesting.  He  was  of  opinion  that 
the  people  from  whom  the  Indian  antiquities  have  come  down  to 
us,  either  by  a  pestilential  disease,  or  by  an  all-destroying  war, 
must  have  been  blotted  from  the  earth.  He  believed  that  Beh- 
ring's  Straits  were  more  practicable  formerly  than  at  present,  at 
least  it  must  have  been  Asiatic  hordes  that  came  to  America. 
How  otherwise,  (asked  he,)  could  the  elephants,  since  there  have 
been  none  ever  upon  this  continent,  have  reached  the  American 
bottom,  where  their  bones  are  now  found?  This  bottom  is  a  very 
rich  body  of  land,  running  south,  opposite  to  St.  Louis.  Mounds 
and  fortifications  are  found  there,  of  the  kind  spoken  of  before. 
Here  the  elephants  bones  are  not  scattered  about,  but  found  laid 
in  a  long  row  near  each  other,  as  if  they  had  been  killed  in  a  battle, 
or  at  the  assault  of  some  fortification.  I  gave  him  a  descrip 
tion  of  the  opening  of  a  Roman  mound,  at  which  I  was  present 
with  my  father,  in  the  year  1813,  and  he  expressed  his  astonish 
ment  at  the  great  similarity  between  these  mounds,  and  those  of 
the  Indian  grave-hills.  Among  the  stone  war-hatchets  in  the 
governor's  museum,  there  are  several  resembling  the  battle-axes 
which  are  found  in  Germany  at  these  mounds. 

In  our  inn  there  lodged  merchants,  who  prepare  caravans,  with 
which  they  go  in  a  space  of  from  between  forty  and  fifty  days,  to 
Santa  Fe  in  New  Mexico.  The  articles  which  they  mostly  carry 
there,  consist  of  cotton  fabrics,  cloths,  iron  ware,  &c.  These  goods 


103 

they  pack  in  four-horse  wagons,  covered  over,  in  which  they 
sleep  at  night.  There  are  about  one  hundred  men  in  such  a  ca 
ravan.  From  Santa  Fe  they  bring  back  dollars  and  mules. 

After  dinner  the  worthy  old  gentleman,  Mr.  Choteau,  surpris 
ed  us  by  a  visit,  and  brought  his  brother,  his  sons,  and  a  Captain 
Smith,  of  the  first  regiment  of  infantry,  who  is  here  on  recruit 
ing  duty,  with  him.  He  staid  long  with  us  and  was  very  talka 
tive.  He  related,  for  example,  that  at  the  commencement  of  the 
settlement  of  St.  Louis,  the  Indians  attacked  the  town,  which  was 
only  defended  by  one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  and  that  they  were 
driven  off.  After  this  attack,  the  Spaniards  had  built  the  de 
fensive  towers,  of  which  the  remains  stand  yet  around  the  city. 
They  resemble  the  English  Martello  towers,  and  like  them  were 
of  but  little  value. 


CHAPTER  XXL 

Travels  from  St.   Louis  to  New  Harmony. — Mr.    Owen's 
System  and  Experiment. 

ON  the  10th  of  April  at  seven  o'clock,  P.  M.  we  left  St. 
Louis,  in  the  Mexico,  a  neat  boat  with  a  low  pressure  engine. 
We  went  down  the  stream  so  rapidly,  that  we  advanced  fourteen 
and  fifteen  miles  per  hour.  We  received  an  unpleasant  shock 
during  the  night  from  a  snag.  It  gave  the  vessel  such  a  violent 
blow,  that  all  were  roused  from  sleep,  and  sprang  out  of  bed:  I 
thought  that  the  boat  was  going  down.  Happily  we  were  only 
scared  this  time.  Towards  morning  we  hastened  past  Cape  Gi- 
rardeau,  and  all  the  places  which  we  had  seen  a  few  days  before. 
It  was  agreeable  for  us  again  to  come  something  more  southerly, 
and  recognize  traces  of  vegetation.  We  reached  the  junction  of 
the  Ohio  with  the  Mississippi  about  twelve  o'clock  in  the  day. 
We  then  quitted  the  Mississippi,  and  steered  into  the  Ohio. 

At  the  period  when  the  French  extended  their  posts  from  Ca 
nada  to  New  Orleans,  the  Ohio  was  known  to  them  under  the 
name  of  "La  Belle  Riviere;"  Mr.  Choteau,  Senr.  used  this  ap 
pellation  constantly  in  speaking  of  it,  while  conversing  with  me. 
The  water  of  the  Ohio  is  much  clearer  and  purer  than  that  of  the 
Mississippi,  which  is  evidently  very  foul  from  the  confluence  of 
the  Missouri.  At  the  union  with  the  Ohio,  this  difference  in  the 
colour  of  the  streams  is  striking,  vvjien  you  pass  from  the  tur 
bid  waters  of  the  Mississippi  into  the  purer  current  of  the  Ohio. 


104 

They  are  divided  from  each  other  by  a  perceptible  line,  disturb 
ed  cloudings  being  visible  on  each  side  of  this  line. 

I  took  a  solemn  leave  of  the  majestic  father  of  rivers,  the  Mis 
sissippi;  but,  with  God's  permission,  not  an  eternal  one. 

The  banks  of  the  Ohio  are  at  first  very  low,  and  exposed  to 
inundations.  Upon  the  right  bank,  eleven  miles  above  the  mouth, 
lies  a  small  place,  consisting  of  a  few  wooden  houses,  called 
America.  It  is  built  upon  a  bank  raised  several  feet  above  the 
highest  water-mark.  It  is  only  three  miles  hence  across  to  the 
Mississippi.  A  project,  therefore  has  been  agitated,  and  a  com 
pany  formed  with  a  capital  of  ten  thousand  dollars,  to  cut  through 
this  narrow  piece  of  land,  to  unite  the  rivers  sooner,  and  gain  an 
easier  navigation.  Since  the  bank  is  not  exposed  to  overflow  at 
this  point,  as  I  have  remarked  before,  a  town  may  be  established 
here,  in  process  of  time,  when  this  design  is  carried  into  effect, 
that  will  be  extremely  important  and  wealthy. 

About  six  miles  from  the  mouth,  stand  a  tavern  and  warehouses, 
on  the  right  bank,  which  is  called  Trinity.  In  this  vicinity  there 
are  several  rocks  concealed  under  the  water,  that  must  be  very 
dangerous  at  a  low  stage  of  the  river.  Some  miles  higher,  thirty- 
seven  and  a  half  miles  from  the  mouth,  fourteen  hundred  miles 
from  New  Orleans,  and  three  hundred  and  thirty-four  and  a  half 
from  Louisville,  is  Fort  Massac,  situated  on  an  eminence  on 
the  right  bank.  The  remains  of  a  stockade,  two  block-houses, 
and  barracks,  are  what  is  left  of  this  fort,  which  gains  its  name 
from  the  massacre  of  the  French  garrison  by  the  Indians.  As 
long  as  the  western  military  posts  of  the  United  States  were  kept 
up,  an  infantry  company  remained  here  in  garrison.  .This  fort 
has  been  abandoned  for  a  long  time.  Nine  miles  higher  up  on  the 
left  bank,  the  Tennessee  river  flows  into  the  Ohio,  upon  which 
the  Western  Navigator  makes  the  following  remarks :  "  This  river 
is  the  largest  branch  of  the  Ohio,  and  is  navigable  for  large  boats 
more  than  six  hundred  miles.  It  rises  in  the  north  western  part 
of  Virginia,  and  runs  through  the  whole  breadth  of  East  Tennes 
see,  in  a  south-westerly  direction.  Afterwards  it  enters  at  the 
north-east  corner  of  Alabama,  through  the  breadth  of  which  it 
runs,  then  turning  in  a  northern  direction,  nearly  in  a  direct  line 
with  the  western  boundary  of  that  state,  it  flows  through  Tennes 
see  and  a  part  of  Kentucky,  in  which  it  discharges  itself  into  the 
Ohio."  The  right  bank  of  the  river  on  which  we  were  now 
sailing,  belongs  to  the  state  of  Illinois,  and  the  left  to  Kentucky. 
Both  shores  are  thickly  covered  with  woods.  Although  our 
course  up  the  stream  did  not  equal  the  speed  with  which  we  had 
descended  the  Mississippi,  yet  we  made  handsome  progress. 

On  the  second  night  we  went  on,  in  spite  of  the  snags,  and 
without  accident.  On  the  third  day,  12th  of  April,  we  were  do 


105 

lighted  with  the  prospect  of  the  beautiful  banks  of  the  Ohio,  thickly 
covered  with  wood.  The  right  shore  especially  is  rocky,  and 
occupied  by  neat  dwellings  and  little  settlements.  During  the 
night  we  had  passed  the  mouth  of  the  Cumberland,  an  eastern 
tributary  river  to  the  Ohio.  This  is  one  of  the  largest  rivers  in 
Kentucky.  It  rises  in  the  Cumberland  mountains,  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  heads  of  Clinch  and  Kentucky  rivers,  flows  in  a  wes 
terly  direction  more  than  two  hundred  miles,  enters  the  state  of 
Tennessee,  reaching  Nashville,  after  meandering  through  that  state 
one  hundred  and  twenty  miles,  in  the  thirty -sixth  degree  of  north 
latitude,  or  thereabouts,  flows  then  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles 
in  a  north-west  course,  and  discharges  itself  into  the  Ohio. 

This  mouth  of  Cumberland  is  eight  hundred  and  ninety-four 
miles  from  Pittsburgh,  and  ten  hundred  and  thirty-five  from  New 
Orleans.  On  the  right  shore  we  saw  the  little  town  of  Golconda, 
afterwards  the  Cave  in  Rock,  where  a  considerable  cavern  runs 
into  the  rock.  It  reaches  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  deep  under 
the  hill,  and  was  used  by  a  robber  in  former  days  for  a  place  of 
residence,  whence  he  sallied  out  and  plundered  the  passing  flat- 
boats  and  smaller  craft. 

Towards  noon  we  reached  Shawnee  town,  on  the  right  bank, 
ten  hundred  and  ninety-five  miles  from  New  Orleans,  and  eight 
hundred  and  thirty-four  from  Pittsburgh.  The  Western  Naviga 
tor  says,  "  Shawnee  town  was  formerly  a  village  which  belong 
ed  to  the  Shawnee  Indian  nation,  and  bore  its  name.  It  is  at 
present  a  handsomely  situated  town,  in  Gallatin  county,  state  of 
Illinois.  It  contains  a  post-office,  a  land-office,  and  a  bank,  call 
ed  the  Great  Bank  of  Illinois,  with  a  capital  of  two  hundred  thou 
sand  dollars.  Although  it  is  subject  to  be  overflowed,  yet  it  is 
nevertheless  a  considerable  place,  since  it  is  the  centre  of  the 
emigrants  going  to  Kaskaskias,  St.  Louis,  &c."  It  appeared  to 
me  safe  from  inundation,  as  it  lies  upon  a  tolerably  elevated 
bank.  The  houses,  of  which  many  contain  stores,  are  mostly  of 
wood,  yet  I  observed  many  of  brick.  It  may  contain  eight  hun 
dred  inhabitants,  mostly  white  persons.  The  states  of  Illinois, 
Indiana,  and  Ohio,  lying  between  the  Mississippi  and  Ohio,  hold 
no  slaves;  a  slave  coming  here  from  other  states  is  free:  and  yet 
these  states  are  only  divided  by  the  Mississippi  from  Missouri, 
and  by  the  Ohio  from  Kentucky  and  Virginia,  in  which  three 
states,  slavery  still  exists. 

Ten  miles  above  Shawnee  town  we  passed  the  mouth  of  the 
Wabash,  a  western  tributary  of  the  Ohio. 

The  Wabash,  a  very  beautiful  river,  rises  not  far  from  the 
sources  of  the  Miami  of  the  Lakes,  and  meanders  through  one 
of  the  most  fertile  districts  of  the  west.  At  its  mouth,  it  is  about 
two  hundred  and  fifty  yards  broad,  and  is  navigable  about  four 

VOL.  II.  14 


106 

hundred  miles.  The  Wabash  forms  the  boundary  between  the 
states  of  Illinois  and  Indiana,  the  right  bank  belongs  to  the  for 
mer,  the  left  to  the  latter  state.  About  evening,  the  steam-boat 
landed  Mr.  Huygens  and  myself  on  the  right  bank  at  Mount  Ver- 
non,  a  place  established  about  two  years  ago,  whence  we  proposed 
to  go  by  land  to  New  Harmony.  Mr.  Hottinguer  left  us,  as  he 
pursued  his  voyage  in  the  steam-boat;  I  parted  very  reluctantly 
from  this  esteemed  fellow  traveller,  who  possessed  many  good 
qualities,  above  all  others,  one  seldom  found  in  his  countrymen, 
great  modesty.  . 

Mount  Vernon  lies  upon  a  high  bank,|pjie  hundred  and  twenty- 
six  miles!  from  New  Orleans,  and  eight  hundred  and  three  from 
Pittsburgh.  It  is  a  favourable  situation  for  trade,  laid  out  on  an 
extensive  plan,  but  has  only  frame  houses,  and  at  most  three  hun 
dred  inhabitants.  It  is  the  new  capital  of  Posey  county.  A  pri 
son  was  finished  for  the  use  of  the  county;  a  court-house  was 
about  to  be  built.  We  formed  an  acquaintance  with  a  physician 
established  here,  and  a  travelling  merchant.  The  roots  of  the 
felled  trees  remained  yet  in  the  streets  of  the  town,  the  woods 
began  close  behind  the  houses;  nay,  the  latest  built  were  encir 
cled  by  them. 

On  the  following  morning,  15th  of  April,  we  hired  a  two-horse 
wagon,  to  carry  us  to  the  village  of  New  Harmony,  which  is  six 
teen  miles  distant  from  Mount  Vernon,  and  lies  on  the  left  shore  of 
the  Wabash.  The  road  passed  through  a  hilly  country,  thickly 
grown  with  green-leaved  trees.  The  way  was  made  very  bad 
by  former  rains,  and  the  most  miry  places  were  mended  with 
logs,  forming  a  grievous  causeway;*  over  a  little  stream,  called 
Big  creek,  we  crossed  a  tolerable  wooden  bridge.  About  half 
way  is  Springfield,  at  first  made  the  capital  of  Posey  county, 
which,  however,  afterwards  was  changed  to  Mount  Vernon,  as  I 
have  mentioned  before.  In  Springfield  the  county  gaol  still  re 
mains,  also  a  brick  court-house,  and  about  ten  wooden  houses,  two 
t  of  them  arc  taverns.  As  the  road  was  very  bad,  and  the  horses 
went  very  slow,  I  walked  at  least  ten  miles,  and  arrived  at  New 
Harmony,  before  the  carriage.  As  soon  as  you  clear  the  woods, 
you  have  a  very  handsome  view  of  the  place.  It  lies  in  a  valley, 
not  far  from  the  Wabash.  The  woody  and  low  banks  of  this 
river,  were  at  present,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  New  Harmony, 
overflowed.  From  the  roots  of  trees  still  remaining,  it  was  visi 
ble,  that  this  country  had  been  covered  with  wood  but  a  short 
time  back. 

In  fact,  it  is  but  eleven  years  since  Mr.  Rapp  with  his  society, 

*  [These  log  turnpikes  arc  better  known  by  the  name  of  '  'corduroy  roads."} 

TUAN&. 


107 

after  they  had  disposed  of  Harmony  in  Pennsylvania,  moved  here, 
and  felled  the  first  tree  to  found  New  Harmony  in  a  country  in 
habited  only  by  wolves,  Indians,  bears,  rattlesnakes,  &c.  The 
hills  immediately  next  to  the  place,  are  already  cleared  of  timber 
of  the  larger  kind;  they  are  converted  into  vineyards,  and  partly 
into  orchards.  Farther  off  are  meadows  and  fields  to  the  right, 
and  to  the  left  fruit  and  vegetable  gardens,  carefully  enclosed  by 
palisades.  New  Harmony  itself,  has  broad  unpaved  streets,  in 
which  good  brick  houses  appear  alternately,  with  framed  cabins 
and  log  houses:  the  streets  are  regular,  running  at  right  angles. 
We  took  up  our  quarters  in  the  only  tavern  there,  belonging  to 
the  community;  it  was  passable. 

Rapp's  society,  called  from  their  former  residence,  the  Ha'r- 
inonites,  consisted  of  Wurtemburgers.  Their  early  history  is 
known,  and  perhaps,  when  I  visit  this  society  from  Pittsburgh  in 
their  new  establishment,  "  Economy,"  I  may  find  an  opportu 
nity  to  say  more  concerning  them.  Rapp  sold  New  Harmony  in 
the  year  1825,  to  the  Englishman,  Robert  Owen,  and  left  there 
with  his  people  on  the  5th  of  May,  to  go  up  the  Ohio  to  Econo 
my.  Mr.  Owen  was  originally  engaged  in  manufactures,  and 
possessed  a  large  cotton  factory  at  New  Lanark,  on  the  Falls  of 
Clyde,  ten  miles  from  Glasgow  in  Scotland,  where  he  had,  by 
the  adoption  of  a  new  system  of  education  and  formation  of  cha 
racter,  changed  a  collection  of  one  thousand  rude  labourers  into 
a  community  of  industrious  beings.  His  system,  and  his  ideas 
upon  the  situation  of  human  society,  as  well  as  the  improvements 
that  are  capable  of  being  made,  he  has  divulged  in  a  series  of  es-* 
says,  which  are  collected,  and  appear  in  print  under  the  name  of 
a  new  view  of  society.  They  conclude  with  the  project  of  a  con 
stitution  for  a  community  formed  on  his  system, 

Mr.  Owen  is  an  enemy  to  all  sects,  the  spirit  of  which  has 
generated  so  much  evil  under  the  imposing  name  of  religion. 
He  allows  each  person  liberty  to  believe  in  what  he  may  consi 
der  to  be  good;  so  that  a  pure  Deism  is  the  peculiar  religion  of 
his  adherents.  On  this  account  he  was  very  obnoxious  to  the 
prevailing  sects  in  Great  Britain,  and  accordingly  his  system 
could  not  extend  itself  there.  He  was  therefore  induced  to 
turn  his  attention  to  the  United  States,  and  particularly  to  the 
western  part  of  the  Union,  where,  as  he  says,  there  is  less  hy 
pocrisy  of  religion  prevailing  than  to  the  east.  He  then  purchas 
ed  New  Harmony  from  Mr.  Rapp,  and  commenced  his  estab 
lishment  in  the  month  of  May  last.  As  he  laid  the  foundation 
of  it  entirely  on  perfect  equality  and  community  of  property, 
many  enthusiasts  in  these  principles  from  various  parts  of  the 
Union  joined  themselves  to  him;  and  also  a  number  of  vagabonds 
and  lazy  worthless  persons,  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  that 


108 

\vould  willingly  live  well  at  the  public  expense,  who  had  drank 
away  the  little  money,  if  they  brought  any  at  all,  at  the  tavern, 
and  who  would  not  work,  but  desired  to  say  a  great  deal.  Mr. 
Owen  had  gone  to  England  on  account  of  business  in  the  month 
of  July,  and  during  his  absence,  a  complete  anarchy  had  been  in 
troduced  into  the  new  community.  At  the  end  of  October  he 
arrived  from  England  at  New  York  on  his  return,  gave  lectures 
there,  in  Philadelphia,  and  in  Washington,  upon  his  system, 
made  some  proselytes  in  Philadelphia,  and  came  back  to  New 
Harmony.  He  lamented  over  his  people,  and  brought  the  situa 
tion  of  anarchy  in  which  they  had  fallen  before  their  eyes  so 
plainly,  with  the  consequences  resulting  therefrom,  that  they 
invested  him  with  dictatorial  authority  for  one  year. 

In  the  eastern  states  there  is  a  general  dislike  to  him.  It  was 
thought  unadvised  that  he  issued  a  proclamation  to  the  Ameri 
cans  on  his  last  arrival  in  New  York,  in  which  he  told  them,  that 
among  many  virtues  they  possessed  great  faults,  among  which  he 
alluded  to  an  ill-directed  propensity  to  religious  feelings,  and  pro 
posed  himself  as  their  reformer  in  this  respect.  I  heard  at  that  time 
unfavourable  expressions  from  persons  in  the  highest  public  offices 
against  him;  and  one  of  them  gave  Mr.  Owen  to  understand 
very  plainly,  that  he  considered  his  intellects  rather  deranged.* 
In  one  family  alone,  where  theory  took  place  of  experimental 
knowledge,  did  I  hear  conversation  turn  to  his  advantage. 

After  all  this,  I  came  with  the  utmost  expectation  to  New 
Harmony,  curious  to  become  acquainted  with  a  man  of  such  ex 
traordinary  sentiments.  In  the  tavern,  I  accosted  a  man  very 
plainly  dressed,  about  fifty  years  of  age,  rather  of  low  stature, 
who  entered  into  a  conversation  with  me,  concerning  the  situa 
tion  of  the  place,  and  the  disordered  state  in  which  I  would  find 
every  thing,  where  all  was  newly  established,  &c.  When  I  asked 
this  man  how  long  before  Mr.  Owen  would  be  there,  he  an 
nounced  himself,  to  my  no  small  surprize,  as  Mr.  Owen,  was 
glad  at  my  visit,  and  offered  himself  to  show  every  thing,  and 
explain  to  me  whatever  remained  without  explanation.  As  the 
arrangement  calculated  for  Rapp's  society  was  not  adapted  to  his, 
of  course  many  alterations  would  naturally  be  made.  All  the 
log  houses  still  standing  in  the  place,  he  intended  to  remove,  and 
only  brick  and  framed  edifices  should  be  permitted  to  remain. 
Also  all  enclosures  about  particular  gardens,  as  well  as  all  the 

•  [This  is,  perhaps,  the  most  charitable  idea  that  can  be  formed  of  the  actions  of 

such  reformers,  as  well  as  of  a  "  lady"  heretofore  mentioned,  who  has  unsexed 

self,  and  become  so  intoxicated  with  vanity,  as  enthusiastically  to  preach  up 

a     reformation  "  in  favour  of  the  promiscuous  intercourse  of  sexes  and  colours, 

ic  downfall  of  all  religion,  and  the  removal  of  all  restraints  imposed  by  virtue 

and  morality!]— THAWS. 


109 

enclosures  within  the  place  itself,  he  would  take  away,  and  only 
allow  the  public  highways  leading  through  the  settlement  to  be 
enclosed.  The  whole  should  bear  a  resemblance  to  a  park,  in 
which  the  separate  houses  should  be  scattered  about. 

In  the  first  place,  Mr.  Owen  carried  me  to  the  quondam  church 
of  Rapp's  society;  a  simple  wooden  building,  with  a  steeple  of 
the  same  materials,  provided  with  a  clock.  This  church  was  at 
present  appropriated  to  joiner's  and  shoemaker's  shops,  in  which 
the  boys  are  instructed  in  these  mechanic  arts. 

Behind  the  church  stands  a  large  brick  edifice,  built  in  the 
form  of  a  cross,  and  furnished  with  a  species  of  cupola,  the  pur 
pose  of  which  is  unknown.  Rapp,  they  say,  had  dreamed  three 
times  that  this  building  should  be  erected,  and  therefore  he  had 
it  done ;  but  it  is  thought,  and  I  believe  correctly,  that  he  only 
did  this  to  keep  his  society  in  constant  employment,  so  that  they 
could  have  no  leisure  to  reflect  upon  their  situation,  and  depend 
ence  upon  him.  His  power  over  them  actually  extended  so  far, 
that  to  prevent  his  society  from  too  great  an  increase,  he  forbid 
the  husbands  from  associating  with  their  wives.  I  also  heard  here 
a  report  which  I  had  already  been  apprised  of  in  Germany,  that 
he  had  himself  castrated  a  son  who  had  transgressed  this  law, 
for  the  sake  of  example,  and  that  the  son  had  died  under  the 
operation.  Over  one  of  the  entrances  of  this  problematical  edi 
fice,  stands  the  date  of  the  year  1822,  hewed  in  stone;  under  it 
is  a  gilt  rose,  and  under  this  is  placed  the  inscription  Micah  4. 
v.  8.  The  interior  of  the  house  forms  a  large  hall,  in  form  of  a 
cross,  the  ceiling  is  supported  by  wooden  pillars.  Mr.  Owen 
has  devoted  the  hall  to  the  purposes  of  dancing,  music,  and 
meetings  for  philosophical  discussions.  He  told  me  that  he  in 
tended  to  have  the  ends  of  the  cross,  both  of  the  grand  saloon 
as  well  as  those  of  the  hall  under  the  roof,  divided  off  by  parti 
tions,  so  as  to  use  them  for  school-rooms,  for  a  library,  for  a  ca 
binet  of  natural  history,  of  physical  objects,  &c. 

Mr.  Owen  then  conducted  me  to  Rapp's  former  dwelling,  a 
large,  well-built  brick  houses  with  two  lightning  rods.  The  man 
of  God,  it  appeared,  took  especial  good  care  of  himself;  his  house 
was  by  far  the  best  in  the  place,  surrounded  by  a  garden,  with  a 
flight  of  stone  steps,  and  the  only  one  furnished  with  lightning 
rods.  Mr.  Owen,  on  the  contrary,  contented  himself  with  a  small 
apartment  in  the  same  tavern  where  I  lodged.  At  present,  the 
offices,  and  the  residence  of  Mr.  M'Clure,  the  associate  of  Mr. 
Owen,  are  in  Rapp's  house.* 

Mr.   M'Clure  is  a  man  distinguished  for  learning,  who  has 

*  [It  is  understood  that  Mr.  M'Clure  has  long  since  given  up  all  connexion 
with  the  New  Harmony  bubble.] — TRANS. 


110 

published  a  geological  chart  of  the  United  States.  He  told  me 
that  he  was  in  Germany  in  the  year  1802,  and  also  at  Weimar, 
where  he  had  become  acquainted  with  the  literati  residing  there. 
I  was  introduced  by  him  to  a  native  of  Alsace,  of  the  name  of 
Neef,  a  rather  aged  man,  who  had  the  superintendence  of  the 
boys.  Mr.  Owen's  two  eldest  sons  were  also  here  shown  to  me, 
pupils  of  Fellenberg,  who  is  greatly  respected.  Afterwards  Mr. 
Owen  made  me  acquainted  with  Mr.  Lewis,  secretary  of  the 
society,  from  Virginia,  and  a  relation  of  the  great  Washington. 
He  was  already  pretty  far  advanced  in  years,  and  appeared  to 
have  united  himself  to  the  society  from  liberal  principles,  as  far 
as  I  could  judge  from  our  short  conversation.  Another  acquaint 
ance  that  I  made,  was  with  a  Mr.  Jennings,  from  Philadelphia,  a 
young  man,  who  was  educated  as  a  clergyman,  but  had  quitted 
that  profession  to  follow  this  course  of  life,  and  had  united  him 
self  to  Mr.  Owen.  He  intended,  nevertheless,  to  leave  this 
place  again,  and  return  back  to  Philadelphia.  Many  other  mem 
bers  have  the  same  design,  and  I  can  hardly  believe  that  this 
society  will  have  a  long  duration.  *  Enthusiasm,  which  aban 
dons  its  subjects  but  too  soon,  as  well  as  the  itch  for  novelty, 
had  contributed  much  to  the  formation  of  this  society.  In  spite 
of  the  principles  of  equality  which  they  recognise,  it  shocks  the 
feelings  of  people  of  education,  to  live  on  the  same  footing  with 
every  one  indiscriminately,  and  eat  with  them  at  the  same  table. 

The  society  consisted,  as  I  was  informed,  of  about  one  thou 
sand  members;  at  a  distance  of  two  miles  are  founded  two  new 
communities.  Till  a  general  table  shall  be  instituted,  according 
to  the  fundamental  constitution  of  the  society,  the  members  are 
placed  in  four  boarding-houses,  where  they  must  live  very  fru 
gally.  Several  of  the  most  turbulent,  with  an  Irishman  who 
wore  a  long  beard,  at  their  head,  wished  to  leave  the  society  im 
mediately  to  go  to  Mexico,  there  to  settle  themselves,  but  where 
their  subsistence  will  be  procured  with  as  much  difficulty. 

In  the  evening  Mr.  Owen  conducted  me  to  a  concert  in  the 
non-descript  building.  Most  of  the  members  of  the  society  were 
present.  The  orchestra  was  not  numerous,  it  consisted  at  first 
only  of  one  violin,  one  violoncello,  one  clarionet  and  two  flutes. 
Nevertheless  the  concert  was  surprisingly  good,  especially  as 
the  musicians  have  not  been  together  a  year.  The  clarionet 
player  performed  particularly  well,  and  afterwards  let  us  hear  him 
on  the  bugle.  Several  good  male  and  female  vocalists  then  took 
a  part,  they  sang  among  other  things  a  trio  accompanied  by  the 
clarionet  only.  Declamation  was  interspersed  among  the  musical 

•  By  late  newspapers  it  appears,  that  the  society  actually  dissolved  itself,  in 
the  beginning  of  the  year  1827. 


Ill 

performances,  Lord  Byron's  stanzas  to  his  wife  after  their  sepa 
ration  were  extremely  well  recited.     Between  the  two  parts  of 
the  concert  the  music  played  a  march,  each  gentleman  gave  a 
lady  his  arm,  and  a  promenade  took  place,  resembling  a  Polo 
naise  with  pretty  figures,  sometimes  in  two  couples,  sometimes 
in  four;  two  ladies  in  the  middle,  the  gentlemen  separated  from 
the  ladies,  then  again  all  together.     The  concert  closed  with  a 
lively  cotillion.     I  was,  on  the  whole,  much  amused;  and  Mr. 
Huygens  took  an  active  share  in  the  dancing.     This  general 
evening  amusement  takes  place  often  in  the  week;  besides,  on 
Tuesday,  there  is  a  general  ball.     There  is  a  particular  costume 
adopted  for  the  society.     That  for  the  men  consists  of  wide  pan 
taloons  buttoned  over  a  boy's  jacket,  made  of  light  material, 
:  without  a  collar;  that  of  the  women  of  a  coat  reaching  to  the 
knee  and  pantaloons,  such  as  little  girls  wear  among  us.     These 
i  dresses  are  not  universally  adopted,  but  they  have  a  good  ap- 
s  pearance.     An  elderly  French  lady,  who  presides  over  the  de- 
I  partment  of  young  mothers,  and  the  nursing  of  all  the  very  small 
i  children,  stuck  by  my  side  during  a  large  portion  of  the  evening, 
1  and  tormented  me  with  her  philosophical  views.     All  the  men 
\  did  not  take  a  share  in  the  dance,  i.  e.  the  lower  class,  but  read 
i  newspapers,  which  were  scattered  over  the  side-tables. 

The  public  house  in  which  we  lived  was  conducted  on  account 
I  of  the  society.     General  Evans  was  looked  for,  who  was  to 
|  keep  the  house;  in  the  mean  time  it  was  directed  by  thcphysi- 
1  cian  of  the  society,  Dr.  M'Namee,  from  Vincennes.     Among 
|  the  public  buildings  I  remarked  two  of  which  the  lower  part 
was  strongly  built  with  rough  stone,  and  provided  with  loop 
holes.     The  larger  of  these  was  the  granary,  and  it  was  reasona 
bly  thought  that  Rapp  had  this  built  as  a  defensive  redoubt  for  his 
own  people.   At  the  first  period  of  his  establishment  in  this  coun 
try  he  not  only  had  the  Indians,  but  also  the  rude  people  known 
under  the  general  title  of  backwoodsmen,  who  not  only  saw  the 
establishment  of  such  a  society  with  jealous  eyes,  which  they 
knew  would  be  wealthy  in  a  short  time,  but  also  entertained  a 
grudge  against  Rapp's  unnatural  rules  of  chastity. 

On  the  morning  of  the  14th  of  April,  I  strolled  about  the 
place  to  look  round  me.  I  visited  Mr.  Neef,  but  found  his  wife 
only  at  home,  a  native -of  Memmingen,  in  Swabia.  Her  husband 
was  in  the  act  of  leading  the  boys  out  to  labour.  Military  exer 
cises  form  a  part  of  the  instruction  of  the  children.  I  saw  the 
boys  divided  into  two  ranks,  and  parted  into  detachments  march 
ing  to  labour,  and  on  the  way  they  performed  various  wheelings 
and  evolutions.  All  the  boys  and  girls  have  a  very  healthy  look, 
are  cheerful  and  lively,  and  by  no  means  bashful.  The  boys  la 
bour  in  the  field  and  garden,  and  were  now  occupied  with  new 


112 

fencing.  The  girls  learn  female  employments;  they  were  as  little 
oppressed  as  the  boys  with  labour  and  teaching;  these  happy  and 
interesting  children  were  much  more  employed  in  making  their 
youth  pass  as  pleasantly  as  possible.  Madam  Neef  showed  the 
school-house,  in  which  she  dwelt,  and  in  which  the  places  for 
sleeping  were  arranged  for  the  boys.  Each  boy  slept  on  a  cot 
frame,  upon  a  straw  bed. 

We  went  next  to  Rapp's  distillery:  it  will  be  removed  alto 
gether.  Mr.  Owen  has  forbidden  distilling  also,  as  well  as  the  use 
of  ardent  spirits.  Notwithstanding  this,  the  Irishmen  here  find 
opportunities  of  getting  whiskey  and  fuddling  themselves  from 
the  flat  boats  that  stop  here,  &c.  We  saw  also  a  dye-house 
and  a  mill  set  in  motion  by  a  steam-engine  of  ten  horse-power. 
The  engine  was  old  and  not  in  good  order,  Mr.  Owen  said  how 
ever,  he  hoped  to  introduce  steam-mills  here  in  time  from  Eng 
land.  From  the  mills  we  went  to  the  vineyard,  which  was  en 
closed  and  kept  in  very  good  order.  I  spoke  to  an  old  French 
vine-dresser  here.  He  assured  me  that  Rapp's  people  had  not 
understood  the  art  of  making  wine;  that  he  would  in  time  make 
more  and  much  better  wine,  than  had  been  done  heretofore. 
The  wine  stocks  are  imported  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and 
the  wine  has  an  entirely  singular  and  strange  taste,  which  re 
minds  one  of  the  common  Spanish  wines. 

We  went  again  to  the  quondam  church,  or  workshop  for  the 
boys,  who  are  intended  for  joiners  and  shoemakers.  These  boys 
sleep  upon  the  floor  above  the  church  in  cribs,  three  in  a  row, 
and  thus  have  their  sleeping  place  and  place  of  instruction  close 
together.  We  also  saw  the  shops  of  the  shoemakers,  tailors  and 
saddlers,  also  the  smiths,  of  which  six  were  under  one  roof,  and 
the  pottery,  in  which  were  two  rather  large  furnaces.  A  porcelain 
earth  has  been  discovered  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  in  the 
state  of  Illinois,  not  far  from  St.  Louis.  Two  experienced 
members  of  the  society,  went  in  that  direction,  to  bring  some 
of  the  earth  to  try  experiments  with,  in  burning.  The  greater 
part  of  the  young  girls,  whom  we  chanced  to  meet  at  home,  we 
found  employed  in  plaiting  straw  hats.  I  became  acquainted  with 

a  Madam  F ,  a  native  of  St.  Petersburg.  She  married  an 

American  merchant,  settled  there,  and  had  the  misfortune  to  lose 
her  husband  three  days  after  marriage.  She  then  joined  her  hus 
band's  family  at  Philadelphia,  and  as  she  was  somewhat  eccen 
tric  and  sentimental,  quickly  became  enthusiastically  attached  to 
Mr.  Owen's  system.  She  told  me,  however,  in  German,  that  she 
found  herself  egregiously  deceived;  that  the^  highly  vaunted 
equality  was  not  altogether  to  her  taste;  that  some  of  the  society 
were  too  low,  and  the  table  was  below  all  criticism.  The  good 
lady  appeared  to  be  about  to  run  from  one  extreme  to  the  other; 


113 

for  she  added,  that  in  the  summer,  she  would  enter  a  Shaker  es 
tablishment  near  Vincennes.* 

I  renewed  acquaintance  here  with  Mr.  Say,  a  distinguished 
naturalist  from  Philadelphia,  whom  I  had  been  introduced  to,  at 
the  Wistar  Party  there;  unfortunately  he  had  found  himself  em 
barrassed  in  his  fortune,  and  was  obliged  to  come  here  as  a  friend 
of  Mr.  M'Clure.  This  gentleman  appeared  quite  comical  in  the 
costume  of  the  society,  before  described,  with  his  hands  full  of 
hard  lumps  and  blisters,  occasioned  by  the  unusual  labour  he  was 
obliged  to  undertake  in  the  garden. 

In  the  evening  I  went  to  walk  in  the  streets,  and  met  with 
several  of  the  ladies  of  the  society,  who  rested  from  the  labours 

of  the  day.  Madam  F was  among  them,  twhose  complaints 

of  disappointed  expectations  I  had  listened  to.  I  feared  still  more 
from  all  that  I  saw  and  heard,  that  the  society  would  have  but  a 
brief  existence.  I  accompanied  the  ladies  to  a  dancing  assembly, 
which  was  held  in  the  kitchen  of  one  of  the  boarding-houses.  I 
observed  that  this  was  only  an  hour  of  instruction  to  the  unprac 
tised  in  dancing,  and  that  there  was  some  restraint  on  account  of 
my  presence,  from  politeness  I  went  away,  and  remained  at  home 
the  remainder  of  the  evening.  About  ten  o'clock,  an  alarm  of 
fire  was  suddenly  raised.  An  old  log  building  used  as  a  wash- 
house  was  in  flames,  immediately  the  fire-engine  kept  in  a  dis 
tinct  house,  was  brought  and  served  by  persons  appointed  to  that 
duty.  They  threw  the  stream  of  water  through  the  many  aper 
tures  of  the  log-house,  and  quickly  put  a  stop  to  the  fire.  In  a 
quarter  of  an  hour,  all  was  over.  Since  the  houses  in  the  place 
all  stand  separately,  there  is  nothing  to  fear  from  the  extension  of 
fire,  unless  in  a  strong  wind.  The  houses,  however,  are  all 
covered  with  shingles. 

On  the  15th  of  April,  I  went  into  the  garden  back  of  Rapp's 
house  to  see  a  plate  or  block  of  stone,  which  is  remarkable  as  it 
bears  the  impression  of  two  human  feet.  This  piece  of  stone  was 
hewed  out  of  a  rock  near  St.  Louis,  and  sold  to  Mr.  Rapp.  School- 
craft  speaks  of  it  in  his  travels,  and  I  insert  his  remarks,  as  I  have 
found  them  correct.  "  The  impressions  are  to  all  appearance 
those  of  a  man  standing  upright,  the  left  foot  a  little  forwards, 
the  heels  turned  inwards.  The  distance  between  the  heels  by  an 
exact  measurement  was  six  and  a  quarter  inches,  and  thirteen 
and  a  half  between  the  extremities  of  the  great  toes.  By  an  accu 
rate  examination,  it  however  will  be  ascertained,  that  they  are 
not  the  impression  of  feet,  accustomed  to  the  use  of  European 
shoes,  for  the  toes  are  pressed  out,  and  the  foot  is  flat,  as  is  ob- 

*  [According  to  the  report  of  some  females,  who  were  induced  to  visit  New 
Harmony,  and  remained  there  for  some  time,  any  situation  much  above  abject 
wretchedness,  was  preferable  to  this  vaunted  terrestrial  paradise.] — THANS. 

VOL.  II.  15 


114 

served  in  persons  who  walk  barefoot.  The  probability  that  they 
were  caused  by  the  pressure  of  an  individual,  that  belonged  to  an 
unknown  race  of  men,  ignorant  of  the  art  of  tanning  hides,  and 
that  this  took  place  in  a  much  earlier  age  than  the  traditions  of 
the  present  Indians  extend  to,  this  probability  I  say,  is  strength 
ened  by  the  extraordinary  size  of  the  feet  here  given.  In  an 
other  respect,  the  impressions  are  strikingly  natural,  since  the 
muscles  of  the  feet  are  represented  with  the  greatest  exactness 
and  truth.  This  circumstance  weakens  very  much  the  hypothe 
sis,  that  they  are  possibly  evidences  of  the  ancient  sculpture  of  a 
race  of  men  living  in  the  remote  ages  of  this  continent.  Neither 
history  nor  tradition,  gives  us  the  slightest  information  of  such 
a  people.  For  it  must  be  kept  in  mind,  that  we  have  no  proof 
that  the  people  who  erected  our  surprising  western  tumuli,  ever 
had  a  knowledge  of  masonry,  even  much  less  of  sculpture,  or 
that  they  had  invented  the  chisel,  the  knife,  or  the  axe,  those 
excepted  made  from  porphyry,  hornstone  or  obsidian.  The  me 
dium  length  of  the  human  male  foot  can  be  taken  at  ten  inches. 
The  length  of  the  foot  stamp  here  described,  amounts  to  ten  and 
a  quarter  inches,  the  breadth  measured  over  the  toes,  in  a  right 
angle  with  the  first  line  is  four  inches,  but  the  greatest  spread  of 
the  toes  is  four  and  a  half  inches,  which  breadth  diminishes  at  the 
heels  to  two  and  a  half  inches.  Directly  before  these  impressions 
is  a  well  inserted  and  deep  mark,  similar  to  a  scroll  of  which  the 
greatest  length  is  two  feet  seven  inches,  and  the  greatest  breadth 
twelve  and  a  half  inches.  The  rock  which  contains  these  inter 
esting  traces,  is  a  compact  limestone  of  a  bluish-gray  colour." 

This  rock  with  the  unknown  impressions  are  remembered  as 
long  as  the  country  about  St.  Louis  has  been  known,  this  table 
is  hewn  out  of  a  rock,  and  indeed  out  of  a  perpendicular  wall  of 
rock. 

The  garden  of  Rapp's  house  was  the  usual  flower-garden  of 
a  rich  German  farmer.  In  it  was  a  green-house,  in  which 
several  large  fig  trees,  an  orange,  and  lemon  tree  stood  in  the 
earth.  Mr.  Owen  took  me  into  one  of  the  newly-built  houses,  in 
which  the  married  members  of  the  society  are  to  dwell.  It  con 
sisted  of  two  stories,  in  each  two  chambers  and  two  alcoves, 
with  the  requisite  ventilators.  The  cellar  of  the  house  is  to 
contain  a  heating  apparatus,  to  heat  the  whole  with  warm  air. 
When  all  shall  be  thoroughly  organized,  the  members  will  alter 
nately  have  the  charge  of  heating  the  apparatus.  Each  family 
will  have  a  chamber  and  an  alcove,  which  will  be  sufficient,  as 
the  little  children  will  be  in  a  nursery,  and  the  larger  at  school. 
They  will  not  require  kitchens,  as  all  are  to  eat  in  common. 
The  unmarried  women  will  live  together,  as  will  also  the  un 
married  men,  in  the  manner  of  the  Moravian  brethren. 


115 

I  had  an  ample  conversation  with  Mr.  Owen,  relating  to  his 
system,  and  his  expectations.  He  looks  forward  to  nothing 
less  than  to  remodel  the  world  entirely;  to  root  out  all  crime;  to 
abolish  all  punishments;  to  create  similar  views  and  similar 
wants,  and  in  this  manner  to  avoid  all  dissension  and  warfare. 
When  his  system  of  education  shall  be  brought  into  connection 
with  the  great  progress  made  by  mechanics,  and  which  is  daily 
increasing,  every  man  can  then,  as  he  thought,  provide  his  smaller 
necessaries  for  himself,  and  trade  would  cease  entirely!  I  ex 
pressed  a  doubt  of  the  practicability  of  his  system  in  Europe, 
and  even  in  the  United  States.  He  was  too  unalterably  con 
vinced  of  the  results,  to  admit  the  slightest  room  for  doubt.  It 
grieved  me  to  see  that  Mr.  Owen  should  allow  himself  to  be  so 
infatuated  by  his  passion  for  universal  improvement,  as  to  be 
lieve  and  to  say  that  he  is  about  to  reform  the  whole  world;  and 
yet  that  almost  every  member  of  his  society,  with  whom  I  have 
conversed  apart,  acknowledged  that  he  was  deceived  in  his 
expectations,  and  expressed  their  opinion  that  Mr.  Owen  had 
commenced  on  too  grand  a  scale,  and  had  admitted  too  many 
members,  without  the  requisite  selection  !  The  territory  of  the 
society  may  contain  twenty  five  thousand  acres.  The  sum  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  dollars  was  paid  to  Rapp  for 
this  purchase,  and  for  that  consideration  he  also  left  both  his 
cattle,  and  a  considerable  flock  of  sheep  behind. 

I  went  with  the  elder  Doctor  M'Namee,  to  the  two  new  estab 
lished  communities,  one  of  which  is  called  No.  2,  or  Macluria; 
the  other  lately  founded,  No.  3.  No.  2,  lies  two  miles  distant 
from  New  Harmony,  at  the  entrance  of  the  forest,  which  will 
be  cleared  to  make  the  land  fit  for  cultivation,  and  consists  of 
nine  log  houses,  first  tenanted  about  four  weeks  since,  by  about 
eighty  persons.  They  are  mostly  backwoodsmen  with  their 
families,  who  have  separated  themselves  from  the  community 
No.  1,  in  New  Harmony,  because  no  religion  is  acknowledged 
there,  and  these  people  wish  to  hold  their  prayer  meetings  undis 
turbed.  The  fields  in  the  neighbourhood  of  this  community 
were  of  course  very  new.  The  community  No.  3,  consisted 
of  English  country  people,  who  formed  a  new  association,  as 
the  mixture,  or  perhaps  the  cosmopolitism  of  New  Harmony 
did  not  suit  them  ;  they  left  the  colony  planted  by  Mr.  Birk- 
beck,  at  English  Prairie,  about  twenty  miles  hence,  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Wabash,  after  the  unfortunate  death  of  that  gen 
tleman,*  and  came  here.  This  is  a  proof  that  there  are  two  evils 
that  strike  at  the  root  of  the  young  societies ;  one  is  a  sectarian 

*  He  was  drowned  in  the  Wabash,  which  he  attempted  to  swim  over  on 
horseback. 


116 

or  intolerant  spirit;  the  other,  national  prejudice.  No.  3,  is  to  be 
built  on  a  very  pretty  eminence,  as  yet  there  is  only  a  frame 
building  for  three  families  begun. 

After  we  had  returned  to  New  Harmony,  I  went  to  the  or 
chard  on  the  Mount  Vernon  road  to  walk,  and  beheld,  to  my 
great  concern,  what  ravages  the  frost  had  committed  on  the  fruit 
blossoms,  the  vines  must  have  been  completely  killed.  The  or 
chards  planted  by  Rapp  and  his  society  are  large  and  very  hand 
some,  containing  mostly  apple  and  peach  trees,  also  some  pear 
and  cherry  trees.  One  of  the  gardens  is  exclusively  devoted  to 
flowers,  where,  in  Rapp's  time,  a  labyrinth  was  constructed  of 
beech  tree  hedges  and  flowers,  in  the  middle  of  which  stood  a 
pavilion,  covered  with  the  tops  of  trees. 

I  afterwards  visited  Mr.  Neef,  who  is  still  full  of  the  maxims 
and  principles  of  the  French  revolution ;  captivated  with  the  sys 
tem  of  equality;  talks  of  the  emancipation  of  the  negroes,  and 
openly  proclaims  himself  an  ATHEIST.  Such  people  stand  by 
themselves,  and  fortunately  are  so  very  few  in  number,  that  they 
can  do  little  or  no  injury. 

In  the  evening  there  was  a  general  meeting  in  the  large  hall, 
it  opened  with  music.  Then  one  of  the  members,  an  English 
architect  of  talent,  who  came  to  the  United  States  with  Mr. 
Owen,  whose  confidence  he  appeared  to  possess,  and  was  here  at 
the  head  of  the  arranging  and  architectural  department,  read  some 
extracts  from  the  newspapers,  upon  which  Mr.  Owen  made  a 
very  good  commentary;  for  example,  upon  the  extension  and  im 
provement  of  steam-engines,  upon  their  adaptation  to  navigation, 
and  the  advantages  resulting  therefrom.  He  lost  himself,  how 
ever,  in  his  theories,  when  he  expatiated  on  an  article  which  re 
lated  to  the  experiments  which  had  been  made  with  Perkins's 
steam-gun.  During  these  lectures,  I  made  my  observations  on  the 
much  vaunted  equality,  as  some  tatterdemalions  stretched  them 
selves  on  the  platform  close  by  Mr.  Owen.  The  better  educated 
members  kept  themselves  together,  and  took  no  notice  of  the 
others.  I  remarked  also,  that  the  members  belonging  to  the 
higher  class  of  society  had  put  on  the  new  costume,  and  made  a 
party  by  themselves.  After  the  lecture  the  band  played  a  march, 
each  gentleman  took  a  lady,  and  marched  with  her  round  the  room. 
Lastly,  a  cotillion  was  danced:  the  ladies  were  then  escorted 
home,  and  each  retired  to  his  own  quarters. 

I  went  early  on  the  following  morning,  (Sunday,)  to  the  as 
sembly  room.  The  meeting  was  opened  by  music.  After  this 
Mr.  Owen  stated  a  proposition,  in  the  discussion  of  which  he 
spoke  of  the  advances  made  by  the  society,  and  of  the  location  of 
a  new  community  at  Valley  Forge,  in  Pennsylvania,  and  another 
m  the  state  of  New  York.  A  classification  of  the  members  was 


117 

spoken  of  afterwards.  They  were  separated  into  three  classes, 
first,  of  such  as  undertook  to  be  security  for  the  sums  due  Mr. 
Owen  and  Mr.  M'Clure,  (that  is,  for  the  amount  paid  to  Rapp, 
and  so  expended  as  a  pledge  to  be  redeemed  by  the  society,)  and 
who,  if  desirous  to  .leave  the  society,  must  give  six  months  pre 
vious  notice;  secondly,  of  such  as  after  a  notice  of  fourteen  days 
can  depart;  and,  lastly  ^  of  those  who  are  received  only  on  trial. 

After  this  meeting,  I  paid  Mr.  M'Clure  a  visit,  and  received 
from  him  the  French  papers.  Mr.  M'Clure  is  old,  childless,  was 
never  married,  and  intends,  as  is  reported,  to  leave  his  property 
to  the  society.  Afterwards  I  went  with  Mr.  Owen,  and  some 
ladies  of  the  society,  to  walk  to  the  cut-off,  as  it  is  called,  of  the 
Wabash,  where  this  river  has  formed  a  new  channel,  and  an  island, 
which  contains  more  than  a  hundred  acres  of  the  best  land;  at  pre 
sent,  however,  inundated  by  water.  There  is  here  a  substantial 
grist-mill,  erected  by  Rapp,  which  was  said  to  contain  a  very  good 
set  of  machinery,  but  where  we  could  not  reach  it  on  account  of 
the  water.  We  went  some  distance  along  the  river,  and  then  re 
turned  through  the  woods  over  the  hills,  which,  as  it  was  rather 
warm,  and  we  could  discover  no  pathway,  was  very  laborious  to 
the  ladies,  who  were  uncommonly  alarmed  at  the  different  snakes 
we  chanced  to  meet.  Most  of  the  serpent  species  here  are  harm 
less,  and  the  children  catch  them  for  playthings.  The  poison 
ous  snakes  harbouring  about  here,  are  rattlesnakes  and  copper 
heads;  these,  however,  diminish  rapidly  in  numbers,  for  it  is  a 
common  observation,  that  the  poisonous  serpents,  like  the  Indians 
and  bears,  fly  before  civilization.  The  rattlesnakes  have  a  pow 
erful  enemy  in  the  numerous  hogs,  belonging  to  the  settlers,  run 
ning  about  the  woods,  which  are  very  well  skilled  in  catching 
them  by  the  neck  and  devouring  them. 

In  the  evening  I  paid  visits  to  some  ladies,  and  witnessed  phi 
losophy  and  the  love  of  equality  put  to  the  severest  trial  with 
one  of  them.  She  is  named  Virginia,  from  Philadelphia;  is  very 
young  and  pretty,  was  delicately  brought  up,  and  appears  to  have 
taken  refuge  here  on  account  of  an  unhappy  attachment.  While 
she  was  singing  and  playing  very  well  on  the  piano  forte,  she 
was  told  that  the  milking  of  the  cows  was  her  duty,  and  that 
they  were  waiting  unmilked.  Almost  in  tears,  she  betook  her 
self  to  this  servile  employment,  deprecating  the  new  social  sys 
tem,  and  its  so  much  prized  equality. 

After  the  cows  wrere  milked,  in  doing  which  the  poor  girl 
was  trod  on  by  one,  and  daubed  by  another,"  I  joined  an  aquatic 
party  with  the  young  ladies  and  some  young  philosophers,  in  a 
very  good  boat  upon  the  inundated  meadows  of  the  Wabash.  The 
evening  was  beautiful  moonlight,  and  the  air  very  mild;  the 
beautiful  Miss  Virginia  forgot  her  stable  sufferings,  and  regaled 


118 

us  with  her  sweet  voice.  Somewhat  later  we  collected  toge 
ther  in  the  house  No.  2,  appointed  for  a  school-house,  where 
all  the  young  ladies  and  gentlemen  of  quality  assembled.  In 
spite  of  the  equality  so  much  recommended,  this  class  of  per 
sons  will  not  mix  with  the  common  sort,  an<}  I  believe  that  all 
the  well  brought  up  members  are  disgusted,  and  will  soon  aban 
don  the  society.  We  amused  ourselves  exceedingly  during  the 
whole  remainder  of  the  evening,  dancing  cotillions,  reels  and 
waltzes,  and  with  such  animation  as  rendered  it  quite  lively. 
New  figures  had  been  introduced  among  the  cotillions,  among 
which  is  one  called  the  new  social  system.  Several  of  the  ladies 
made  objections  to  dancing  on  Sunday;  we  thought  however, 
that  in  this  sanctuary  of  philosophy,  such  prejudices  should  be 
utterly  discarded,  and  our  arguments,  as  well  as  the  inclination 
of  the  ladies,  gained  the  victory. 

On  the  17th  April,  a  violent  storm  arose,  which  collected  such 
clouds  of  dust  together  that  it  was  hardly  possible  to  remain  in 
the  streets,  and  I  remained  at  home  almost  all  day.  I  received 
a  visit  from  a  Mr.  Von  Schott.  This  person,  a  Wurtemburger 
by  birth,  and  brother  of  lady  Von  Mareuil,  in  Washington,  has 
settled  himself  seven  or  eight  miles  from  New  Harmony,  and 
lives  a  real  hermit's  life,  without  a  servant  or  assistant  of  any 
kind.  He  was  formerly  an  officer  in  the  Wurtemburg  cavalry, 
took  his  discharge,  and  went,  from  pure  enthusiasm,  and  over 
wrought  fanaticism,  to  Greece,  to  defend  their  rights.  As  he 
there  discovered  himself  to  be  deceived  in  his  anticipations,  he 
returned  to  his  native  country,  and  delivered  himself  up  to  reli 
gious  superstition.  To  extricate  himself,  in  his  opinion,  from 
this  world  plunged  in  wretchedness,  he  accompanied  his  sister 
to  the  United  States,  came  to  Indiana,  bought  a  piece  of  land 
from  Rapp,  by  whom  he  asserted  he  was  imposed  upon,  and  had 
difficulties  to  undergo,  since  he  knew  nothing  of  agriculture. 
He  lived  in  this  manner  in  the  midst  of  the  forest  with  a  solitary 
horse.  A  cruel  accident  had  befallen  him  the  week  before,  his 
stable  with  his  trusty  horse  was  burnt.  He  appeared  to  be  a 
well-informed  man,  and  spoke  well  and  rationally,  only  when  he 
touched  upon  religious  topics,  his  mind  appeared  to  be  somewhat 
deranged.  He  declared  that  he  supported  all  possible  privations 
with  the  greatest  patience,  only  he  felt  the  want  of  intercourse 
with  a  friend  in  his  solitude. 

To-day  two  companies  of  the  New  Harmony  militia  paraded, 
with  drums  beating,  and  exercised  morning  and  afternoon.  They 
were  all  in  uniform,  well  armed,  and  presented  an  imposing  front. 

I  was  invited  to  dinner  in  the  house,  No.  4.  Some  gentlemen 
had  been  out  hunting,  and  had  brought  home  a  wild  turkey, 
which  must  be  consumed.  This  turkey  formed  the  whole  din- 


119 

ner.  Upon  the  whole  I  cannot  complain  either  of  an  overloaded 
stomach,  or  a  head-ache  from  the  wine  affecting  it,  in  any  way. 
The  living  was  frugal  in  the  strictest  sense,  and  in  nowise  pleased 
the  elegant  ladies  with  whom  I  dined.  In  the  evening  I  visited 
Mr.  M'Clure  and  Madam  Fretageot,  living  in  the  same  house. 
She  is  a  Frenchwoman,  who  formerly  kept  a  boarding-school  in 
Philadelphia,  and  is  called  mother  by  all  the  young  girls  here. 
The  handsomest  and  most  polished  of  the  female  world  here, 
Miss  Lucia  Saistare  and  Miss  Virginia,  were  under  her  care.  The 
cows  were  milked  this  evening  when  I  came  in,  and  therefore 
we  could  hear  their  performance  on  the  piano  forte,  and  their 
charming  voices  in  peace  and  quiet.  Later  in  the  evening  we 
went  to  the  kitchen  of  No.  3,  where  there  was  a  ball.  The  young 
ladies  of  the  better  class  kept  themselves  in  a  corner  under  Ma 
dam  Fretageot's  protection,  and  formed  a  little  aristocratical 
club.  To  prevent  all  possible  partialities,  the  gentlemen  as  well 
as  the  ladies,  drew  numbers  for  the  cotillions,  and  thus  appor 
tioned  them  equitably.  Our  young  ladies  turned  up  their  noses 
apart  at  the  democratic  dancers,  who  often  in  this  way  fell  to 
their  lot.  Although  every  one  was  pleased  upon  the  whole,  yet 
they  separated  at  ten  o'clock,  as  it  is  necessary  to  rise  early  here. 
I  accompanied  Madam  Fretageot  and  her  two  pupils  home,  and 
passed  some  time  in  conversation  with  Mr.  M'Clure  on  his  tra 
vels  in  Europe,  which  were  undertaken  with  mineralogical  views. 
The  architect,  Mr.  Whitwell,  besides  showed  me  to-day  the  plan 
of  this  establishment.  I  admired  particularly  the  judicious  and 
economical  arrangements  for  warming  and  ventilating  the  build 
ings,  as  well  as  the  kitchens  and  laundries.  It  would  indeed  be 
a  desirable  thing  could  a  building  on  this  plan  once  be  completed, 
and  Mr.  Owen  hopes  that  the  whole  of  New  Harmony  will  thus 
be  arranged. 

On  the  following  day  I  received  a  visit  from  one  of  the  Ger 
man  patriots  who  had  entered  the  society,  of  the  name  of  Schmidt, 
who  wished  to  have  been  considered  as  first  lieutenant  in  the 
Prussian  artillery,  at  Erfurt.  He  appeared  to  have  engaged  in 
one  of  the  political  conspiracies  there,  and  to  have  deserted.  Mr. 
Owen  brought  him  from  England  last  autumn  as  a  servant.  He 
was  now  a  member  of  the  society,  and  had  charge  of  the  cattle. 
His  fine  visions  of  freedom  seemed  to  be  very  much  lowered,  for 
he  presented  himself  to  me,  and  his  father  to  Mr.  Huygens,  to  be 
employed  as  servants. 

Towards  evening,  an  Englishman,  a  friend  of  Mr.  Owen, 
Mr.  Applegarth,  arrived,  who  had  presided  over  the  school 
in  New  Lanark,  and  was  to  organize  one  here  in  all  proba 
bility.  After  dinner  I  went  to  walk  with  him  in  the  vineyard 
and  woods.  We  conversed  much  concerning  the  new  system, 


120 

and  the  consequences  which  he  had  reason  to  expect  would 
result,  &c.  and  we  discovered  amongst  other  things,  that  Mr. 
Owen  must  have  conceived  the  rough  features  of  his  general 
system  from  considering  forced  services  or  statutory  labour; 
for  the  labour  imposed  upon  persons  for  which  they  receive 
no  compensation,  would  apply  and  operate  much  more  upon 
them  for  their  lodging,  clothing,  food,  the  education  and  care 
of  their  children,  &c.  so  that  they  would  consider  their  labour 
in  the  light  of  a  corvee.  We  observed  several  labourers  employed 
in  loading  bricks  upon  a  cart,  and  they  performed  this  so  tedious 
and  disagreeable  task,  as  a  statutory  labour  imposed  on  them  by 
circumstances,  and  this  observation  led  us  to  the  above  reflection. 
I  afterwards  visited  Mr.  M'Clure,  and  entertained  myself  for  an 
hour  with  the  instructive  conversation  of  this  interesting  old  gen 
tleman.  Madam  Fretageot,  who  appears  to  have  considerable 
influence  over  Mr.  M'Clure,  took  an  animated  share  in  our  dis 
course.  In  the  evening  there  was  a  ball  in  the  large  assembly 
room,  at  which  most  of  the  members  were  present.  It  lasted 
only  until  ten  o'clock,  in  dancing  cotillions,  and  closed  with  a 
grand  promenade,  as  before  described.  There  was  a  particular 
place  marked  off  by  benches  for  the  children  to  dance  in,  in  the 
centre  of  the  hall,  where  they  could  gambol  about  without  run 
ning  between  the  legs  of  the  grown  persons. 

On  the  19th  of  April,  a  steam-boat  came  down  the  Wabash, 
bound  for  Louisville  on  the  Ohio.  It  stopt  opposite  Harmony, 
and  sent  a  boat  through  the  overflow  of  water  to  receive  passen 
gers.  I  was  at  first  disposed  to  embrace  the  opportunity  of  leaving 
this  place,  but  as  I  heard  that  the  boat  was  none  of  the  best,  1 
determined  rather  to  remain  and  go  by  land  to  Mount  Vernon, 
to  wait  for  a  better  steam-boat  there.  We  took  a  walk  to  the 
community,  No.  3.  The  work  on  the  house  had  made  but 
little  progress;  we  found  but  one  workman  there,  and  he  was 
sleeping  quite  at  his  ease.  This  circumstance  recalled  the  ob 
servation  before  mentioned,  concerning  gratis-labour,  to  my  mind. 
We  advanced  beyond  into  the  woods,  commencing  behind  No.  3: 
there  was  still  little  verdure  to  be  seen. 

On  the  succeeding  day,  I  intended  to  leave  New  Harmony 
early;  but  as  it  was  impossible  to  procure  a  carriage,  I  was 
obliged  to  content  myself.  I  walked  to  the  community  No.  2, 
or  Macluria,  and  farther  into  the  woods.  They  were  employed 
in  hewing  down  trees  to  build  log  houses.  The  wood  used  in 
the  brick  and  frame  houses  here  is  of  the  tulip  tree,  which  is 
abundant,  worked  easily,  and  lasts  long.  After  dinner  I  walked 
with  Mr.  Owen  and  Madam  Fretageot,  to  community  No.  3. 

here  a  new  vegetable  garden  was  opened  ;  farther  on  they  were 
employed  in  preparing  a  field  in  which  Indian  corn  was  to  be  sown. 


121 

This  answers  the  best  purpose  here,  as  the  soil  is  too  rich  for 
wheat;  the  stalks  grow  too  long,  the  heads  contain  too  few  grains, 
and  the  stalks  on  account  of  their  length  soon  break  down,  so 
that  the  crop  is  not  very  productive.  The  chief  complaint  here 
is  on  account  of  the  too  great  luxuriancy  of  the  soil.  The  trees 
are  all  very  large,  shoot  up  quickly  to  a  great  height,  but  have 
so  few,  and  such  weak  roots,  that  they  are  easily  prostrated  by  a 
violent  storm;  they  also  rot  very  easily,  and  I  met  with  a  great 
number  of  hollow  trees,  in  proportion.  I  saw  them  sow  maize 
or  Indian  corn,  for  the  first  time.  There  were  furrows  drawn 
diagonally  across  the  field  with  the  plough,  each  at  a  distance  of 
two  feet  from  the  other ;  then  other  furrows  at  the  same  distance 
apart,  at  right  angles  with  the  first.  A  person  goes  behind  the 
plough  with  a  bag  of  corn,  and  in  each  crossi-ng  of  the  furrows 
he  drops  six  grains.  Another  person  with  a  shovel  follows,  and 
covers  these  grains  with  earth.  When- the  young  plants  are  half 
a  foot  high,  they  are  ploughed  between  and  the  earth  thrown  up 
on  both  sides  of  the  plants;  and  when  they  are  two  feet  high 
this  operation  is  repeated,  to  give  them  more  firmness  and  to 
destroy  the  weeds.  There  is  a  want  of  experienced  farmers 
here;  the  furrows  were  badly  made,  and  the  whole  was  attended 
to  rather  too  much  en  amateur. 

After  we  returned  to  Madam  Fretageot's,  Mr.  Owen  showed 
me  two  interesting  objects  of  his  invention;  one  of  them  con 
sisted  of  cubes  of  different  sizes,  representing  the  different  classes 
of  the  British  population  in  the  year  1811,  and  showed  what  a 
powerful  burden  rested  on  the  labouring  class,  and  how  desira 
ble  an  equal  division  of  property  would  be  in  that  kingdom. 
The  other  was  a  plate,  according  to  -which,  as  Mr.  Owen  assert 
ed,  each  child  could  be  shown  his  capabilities,  and  upon  which, 
after  a  mature  self-examination,  he  can  himself  discover  what  pro 
gress  he  has  made.  The  plate  has  this  superscription:  scale  of 
human  faculties  and  qualities  at  birth.  It  has  ten  scales  with  the 
following  titles :  from  the  left  to  the  right,  self-attachment;  affec 
tions;  judgment;  imagination;  memory;  reflection;  perception; 
excitability;  courage;  strength.  Each  scale  is  divided  into  one 
hundred  parts,  which  are  marked  from  five  to  five.  A  slide  that 
can  be  moved  up  or  down,  shows  the  measure  of  the  qualities 
therein  specified  each  one  possesses,  or  believes  himself  to  pos 
sess. 

I  add  but  a  few  remarks  more.  Mr.  Owen  considers  it  as  an 
absurdity  to  promise  never-ending  love  on  marriage.  For  this 
reason  he  has  introduced  the  civil  contract  of  marriage,  after  the 
manner  of  the  Quakers,  and  the  French  laws  into  his  community, 
and  declares  that  the  bond  of  matrimony  is  in  no  way  indissolu 
ble.  The  children  indeed,  cause  no  impediment  in  case  of  a 

VOL.  II.  16 


122 

separation,  for  they  belong  to  the  community  from  their  second 
year,  and  are  all  brought  up  together. 

Mr.  M'Clure  has  shown  himself  a  great  adherent  of  the  Pes- 
talozzian  system  of  education.  He  had  cultivated  Pestalozzi's 
acquaintance  while  upon  his  travels,  and  upon  this  recommenda 
tion  brought  Mr.  Neef  with  him  to  Philadelphia,  to  carry  this 
system  into  operation.  At  first  it  appeared  to  succeed  perfectly, 
soon  however,  Mr.  Neef  found  so  many  opposers,  apparently  on 
account  of  his  anti-religious  principles,  that  he  gave  up  the  busi 
ness,  and  settled  himself  on  a  farm  in  the  woods  of  Kentucky. 
He  had  just  abandoned  the  farm  to  take  the  head  of  a  boarding- 
school,  which  Mr.  M'Clure  intended  to  establish  in  New  Har 
mony.  Mr.  Jennings,  formerly  mentioned,  was  likewise  to 
co-operate  in  this  school;  his  reserved  and  haughty  character 
was  ill  suited  for  such  a  situation,  and  Messrs.  Owen  and  M'Clure 
willingly  consented  to  his  withdrawing,  as  he  would  have  done 
the  boarding-school  more  injury,  from  the  bad  reputation  in 
which  he  stood,  than  he  could  have  assisted  it  by  his  acquire 
ments.  An  Englishman  by  birth,  he  was  brought  up  for  a 
military  life;  this  he  had  forsaken  to  devote  himself  to  clerical 
pursuits,  had  arrived  in  the  United  States  as  a  Universalist 
preacher,  and  had  been  received  with  much  attention  in  that 
capacity  in  Cincinnati,  till  he  abandoned  himself  with  enthusiasm 
to  the  new  social  system,  and  made  himself  openly  and  publicly 
known  as  an  ATHEIST.  * 

I  passed  the  evening  with  the  amiable  Mr.  M'Clure,  and  Ma 
dam  Fretageot,  and  became  acquainted  through  them,  with  a 
French  artist,  Mons.  Lesueur,  calling  himself  uncle  of  Miss 
Virginia,  as  also  a  Dutch  physician  from  Herzogenbusch,  Dr. 
Troost,  an  eminent  naturalist.  Both  are  members  of  the  com 
munity,  and  have  just  arrived  from  a  scientific  pedestrian  tour  to 
Illinois  and  the  southern  part  of  Missouri,  where  they  have  ex 
amined  the  iron,  and  particularly  the  lead-mine  works,  as  well  as 
the  peculiarities  of  the  different  mountains.  Mr.  Lesueur  has 
besides  discovered  several  species  of  fish,  as  yet  undescribed.  He 
-was  there  too  early  in  the  season  to  catch  many  snakes.  Both 
gentlemen  had  together  collected  thirteen  chests  of  natural  curi 
osities,  which  are  expected  here  immediately.  Mr.  Lesueur  ac 
companied  the  naturalist  Perron,  as  draftsman  in  his  tour  to  New 
South  Wale's,  under  Captain  Baudin,  and  possessed  all  the  illumi 
nated  designs  of  the  animals  which  were  discovered  for  the  first 
time  on  this  voyage,  upon  vellum.  This  collection  is  unique  of 
its  kind,  either  as  regards  the  interest  of  the  objects  represented, 

*  [He  is  at  this  time  advertising  a  boarding-school  in  the  Western  country,  on 
» own  account,  which  is  to  be  under  his  immediate  superintendence!]— TRANS. 


123 

or  in  respect  to  their  execution;  and  I  account  myself  fortunate  to 
have  seen  them  through  Mr.  Lesueur's  politeness.  He  showed 
me  also  the  sketches  he  made  while  on  his  last  pedestrian  tour, 
as  well  as  those  during  the  voyage  of  several  members  of  the  so 
ciety  to  Mount  Vernon,  down  the  Ohio  from  Pittsburgh.  On  this 
voyage,  the  society  had  many  difficulties  to  contend  with,  and 
were  obliged  often  to  cut  a  path  for  the  boat  through  the  ice. 
The  sketches  exhibit  the  originality  of  talent  of  the  artist.  He 
had  come  with  Mr.  M'Clure  in  1815,  from  France  to  Philadel 
phia,  where  he  devoted  himself  to  the  arts  and  sciences.  Whether 
he  will  remain  long  in  this  society  or  not,  I  cannot  venture  to 
decide.* 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

Travels  to  Louisville,  and  Stay  in  that  City. 

ON  the  21st  of  April,  we  left  New  Harmony,  after  taking  a 
cordial  leave  of  Mr.  Owen,  and  availed  ourselves  of  the  mail  stage, 
which  leaves  here  once  a  week  for  Mount  Vernon,  to  make  this 
passage.  Besides  our  company,  there  was  only  a  single  traveller 
in  the  stage,  a  Mr.  Riley,  from  Cincinnati,  and  a  native  of  Ire 
land.  One  mile  from  New  Harmony,  we  were  forced  to  alight 
from  the  carriage,  as  the  horses  would  not  draw  us  up  a  steep 
hill.  One-half  mile  farther,  we  got  out  again  on  account  of  a 
similar  dilemma,  and  we  had  hardly  done  so,  when  it  was  over 
turned  by  the  unskilfulness  of  the  driver.  We  unloaded  our  bag 
gage,  left  it  under  the  care  of  Bottner,  my  servant,  permitted  the 
driver  to  his  chagrin  and  mortification  to  go  on  alone,  and  re 
turned  back  on  foot  to  New  Harmony,  to  look  about  for  another 
method  of  conveyance.  I  paid  a  visit  to  Messrs.  M'Clure,  Le- 
sueur,  &c.  They  told  me  that  about  ten  o'clock  a  cart  under  the 
direction  of  a  Mr.  Johnson  would  leave  this  place  for  Mount  Ver 
non,  in  which  our  baggage  would  find  a  place.  As  to  our  own 
conveyance,  I  saw  plainly  that  it  would  be  the  wiser  plan  to  con 
fide  mine  to  my  own  trustworthy  legs.  I  assumed  therefore  the 
pilgrim's  staff,  left  my  slower  moving  travelling  companions 
something  behind,  and  accomplished  the  sixteen  miles  to  Mount 
Vernon,  over  a  very  hilly  road,  in  five  hours. 

I  did  not  pass  through  Springfield,  saw  only  two  solitary  log- 

*  [He  lias  left'it  some  time  since,  as  well  as  Dr,  Troost.]— TRAIT*, 


124 

houses,  and  encountered  but  few  people.  The  herbage  had  ad 
vanced  very  much  during  a  week;  many  trees  were  in  blossom, 
and  the  young  green  leaves,  particularly  those  of  the  tulip  trees, 
produced  a  very  pleasing  effect.  I  passed  by  many  sugar-ma 
ples,. which  were  perforated,  to  draw  the  sugar  juice  from  them. 
When  the  trees  are  completely  in  leaf,  the  natural  scenery  of 
these  forests,  of  which  the  ground  is  very  hilly,  must  be  extreme 
ly  beautiful,  especially  to  the  eyes  of  a  northern  European,  who 
is  not  accustomed  to  the  grandeur  of  the  colossal  sycamores,  tulip 
trees  and  maples.  In  noticing  these  trees,  I  may  add  the  remark 
that  Mr.  Rapp  had  planted  the  Lombardy  poplar  in  the  streets  of 
New  Harmony;  that  these  poplars  had  succeeded  very  well  at 
first,  but  when  their  roots  struck  a  stratum  of  reddish  sand 
lying  under  the  good  fertile  soil,  they  died.  Mr.  Rapp  then 
substituted  mulberry  trees,  which  have  thriven  well,  and  Mr. 
Owen  has  it  in  design,  to  make  an  experiment  in  raising  silk 
worms. 

I  reached  Mount  Vernon,  tolerably  fatigued,  about  three  o'clock, 
P.  M.  I  met  Dr.  Clark  again.  Mr.  Huygens  and  Mr.  Riley 
made  their  appearance  after  some  time.  Towards  evening  the  ex 
pected  cart  arrived,  but  without  Bottner  and  my  baggage.  The 
carter  said  in  his  own  excuse,  that  they  had  given  him  so  much 
freight  in  New  Harmony,  that  his  horses  could  hardly  draw  it, 
and  that  there  was  no  room  left  for  my  effects.  After  having 
made  a  survey  of  the  localities  in  person,  I  was  obliged  to  admit 
the  cogency  of  his  reasons,  in  spite  of  my  vexation;  and  of  course 
to  find  a  remedy  in  patience. 

In  this  state  of  affairs,  I  solaced  myself  with  Major  Dunn's 
society.  He  and  his  countryman  Riley,  belonged  to  the  better 
class  of  Irish,  and  possessed  a  good  deal  of  shrewdness,  so  that 
the  time  passed  very  pleasantly.  In  the  evening  we  went  to  the 
court-house,  to  hear  a  Presbyterian  preacher,  travelling  from  the 
eastern  states.  He  was  quite  a  young  man,  of  the  name  of  Stew 
art,  whom  I  had  met  in 'New  Harmony;  he  had,  however,  only 
looked  about,  without  announcing  himself  as  a  clergyman,  pro 
bably  from  his  knowing  the  anti-religious  opinions  prevailing 
there.  In  the  little  new  settled  places  of  the  western  states,  they 
do  not  build  churches  before  houses,  as  is  the  practice  in  the  north 
eastern  section,  but  a  dwelling  and  clearing  of  land  is  their  first 
object.  Nevertheless,  divine  service  is  not  lacking;  for  many 
clergymen,  who  are  not  located,  seek  after  a  situation';  in  so 
doing  are  accustomed  to  preach,  where  they  can  be  heard.  In 
most  of  the  public  houses,  and  ferry-boats,  no  pay  is  required 
irom  these  clergymen,  and  thus  they  can  take  pretty  long  jour- 
mes,  the  descriptions  of  which  are  often  published,  at  a  very 
cheap  rate.  From  the  want  of  a  church  in  Mount  Vernon,  the 


125 

meeting  was  held  in  the  court-house.  It  was  a  temporary  log- 
house,  which  formed  hut  one  room.  The  chimney  fire,  and  two 
tallow  candles  formed  the  whole  illumination  of  it,  and  the  seats 
were  constructed  of  some  blocks  and  boards,  upon  which  upwards 
of  twenty  people  sat.  The  singing  was  conducted  by  a  couple 
of  old  folks,  with  rather  discordant  voices.  The  preacher  then 
rose,  and  delivered  us  a  sermon.  I  could  not  follow  his  discourse 
well,  and  was  very  much  fatigued  by  my  day's  walk.  In  his 
prayer,  however,  the  minister  alluded  to  those  who  despise  the 
word  of  the  Lord,  and  prayed  for  their  conviction  and  conver 
sion.  This  hint  was  evidently  aimed  at  the  community  in  New 
Harmony  and  the  new  social  system.  In  the  sermon  there  was 
no  such  allusion.  Probably  the  discourse  was  one  of  those,  which 
he  knew  by  heart;  which  he  delivered  in  various  places,  and  ad 
mitted  of  no  interpolations.  The  service  lasted  till  ten  o'clock 
at  night. 

Unluckily  for  me,  my  port-folio  also  remained  behind  among 
my  other  baggage.  I  suffered  therefore,  the  whole  forenoon 
of  the  next  day  the  most  excessive  tedium,  and  was  obliged  to 
remain  in  noble  idleness.  I  went  to  walk  in  the  woods,  gaped 
about  at  the  pretty  flowers,  and  the  amazing  variety  of  butter 
flies;  came  back,  seated  myself  in  Mr.  Dunn's  store,  and  viewed 
the  steam-boats  going  down  the  river.  At  length  in  the  after 
noon,  Bottner  arrived,  with  my  baggage  in  a  one-horse  cart, 
splashed  all  over  with  mud,  as  he  had  been  obliged  to  lead  the 
restive  horse  all  the  way  by  the  bridle.  The  poor  fellow  bi 
vouacked  in  the  woods  yesterday,  from  one  o'clock  in  the  morn 
ing  till  four  in  the  evening,  when  by  chance  the  shepherds  of 
New  Harmony  passed  by,  and  gave  Mr.  Owen  an  account  of 
Bottner's  situation,  upon  which  old  Dr.  M'Namee  had  come  out 
with  his  one-horse  vehicle,  and  brought  back  the  baggage  and  its 
guard.  By  Mr.  Owen's  kindness,  the  cart  was  on  this  day  sent 
on,  with  my  effects. 

Now  my  earnest  desire  was  to  get  away  as  quickly  as  possible. 

.  To  be  sure,  the  splendid  view  of  the  Ohio  and  its  banks  by  the 
light  of  the  moon,  regaled  me  in  the  evening ;  but  the  residence 
in  this  place  was  too  inhospitable  and  uninteresting ;  besides  I 
suffered  the  whole  afternoon  and  evening  with  tooth-ache,  and 

'  symptoms  of  fever.  But  how  were  we  to  get  away?  During 
the  night  a  steam-boat  passed,  going  up  the  river,  but  she  kept 
to  the  left  bank  where  the  deepest  water  was,  and  took  no  notice 
of  Mount  Vernon.  About  nine  o'clock  on  the  23d  of  April, 
another  steam-boat,  the  General  Wayne,  came  up,  bound  in  the 
same  direction.  A  flag  was  hoisted,  to  give  notice  that  passen- 

[  gers  wished  to  come  on  board,  we  waved  our  handkerchiefs,  but 
the  vessel  did  not  regard  us,  and  passed  on.  To  kill  time,  I  went 


126 

with  Mr.  Riley  to  Major  Dunn's  store,  where  we  lold  stories 
about  steam-boats  to  keep  off  ennui  as  well  as  we  could,  but  in 
vain.  In  the  evening  I  heard  much  concerning  Rapp's  society, 
from  a  German  mechanic,  who  had  belonged  to  it,  and  who  had 
left  it  as  he  said,  because  Rapp  refused  to  let  him  have  the  inheri 
tance  of  his  father-in-law.  We  heard  psalmody  in  the  court 
house,  for  the  religious  inhabitants  of  the  place,  mostly  methodists, 
hold  Sunday  evening  prayer  meetings  without  a  clergyman. 
The  day  was  upon  the  whole  quite  warm,  and  towards  evening 
we  had  to  contend  with  numbers  of  mosquetoes.  To  prevent  in 
some  measure  their  coming  from  the  woods,  where  they  har 
boured,  fires  were  kindled  about  the  place,  and  likewise  before 
the  houses.  The  situation  here  must  be  an  unhealthy  one,  for 
not  only  was  I  annoyed  during  the  night  with  head-ache  and 
fever,  but  Messrs.  Huygens,  Riley,  and  Johnson,  complained  of 
being  unwell.  With  the  exception  of  some  miserable,  filthy 
lodgings  in  Canada,  I  do  not  recollect  in  any  part  of  the  United 
States,  even  among  the  Creek  Indians,  to  have  found  myself  so 
wretchedly  situated  in  every  respect,  as  here.  The  food,  fur 
nished  in  small  quantity  as  it  was,  was  hardly  fit  to  be  eaten ; 
the  only  beverage  was  water,  which  it  was  necessary  to  mix  with 
ordinary  whiskey;  the  beds  very  bad;  and  the  whole  house  in 
a  state  of  the  most  revolting  filthiness. 

On  the  morning  of  the  24th  of  April,  came  the  hour  of  our 
deliverance.  The  steam-boat  General  Neville  came  up  the  river 
after  seven  o'clock.  We  dispatched  a  boat  to  tell  them  that 
several  cabin  passengers  waited  for  them  in  Mount  Vernon. 
Immediately  the  vessel  steered  for  our  shore,  and  took  us  in. 

We  were  extremely  rejoiced  at  our  escape  from  this  disagree 
able  place.  The  boat  had  come  from  St.  Louis,  and  was  bound 
for  Louisville.  She  was  but  small,  containing  sixteen  births  in 
her  cabin,  and  had  a  high-pressure  engine.  Luckily,  however,  we 
found  but  three  cabin  passengers  on  board.  We  started  imme 
diately,  and  the  banks  of  the  river  here  and  there  low  and  sub 
ject  to  inundation,  gratified  us  very  much  by  the  fresh  green  of  the 
trees.  We  passed  by  some  considerable  islands.  One  of  them, 
Diamond  Island,  is  about  three  miles  and  a  half  long  and  above  a 
mile  broad,  and  must  contain  several  thousand  acres  of  excellent 
land.  Afterwards  we  saw  upon  the  left  bank,  here  pretty  high, 
the  little  town  of  Henderson,  in  Kentucky.  Eleven  miles  and 
a  half  higher,  we  saw  Evansville  upon  an  eminence  on  the  right 
shore,  still  an  inconsiderable  place,  but  busy;  it  being  the  prin 
cipal  place  in  the  county  of  Vandeburg,  in  the  state  of  Indiana, 
lying  in  the  neighbourhood  of  a  body  of  fertile  land,  and  is  a  con 
venient  landing  place  for  emigrants,  who  go  to  the  Wabash  country. 
Upon  the  same1  shore  are  seen  several  dwellings  upon  the  fresh 


127 

turf,  shaded  by  high  green  trees.  Close  below  Evansville,  a  small 
river  called  Big  Pigeon  creek  falls  into  the  Ohio.  In  its  mouth 
we  saw  several  flat  boats,  with  apparatus  similar  to  pile-driving 
machines.  These  vessels  belong  to  a  contractor,  who  has  en 
tered  into  an  engagement  with  the  government,  to  make  the  Ohio 
free  and  clear  of  the  snags  and  sawyers  lying  in  its  current. 
This  work  was  discharged  in  a  negligent  manner,  and  the  officer 
to  whom  the  superintendence  was  committed,  is  censured  for 
having  suffered  himself  to  be  imposed  upon.  1  remembered 
having  seen  models  in  the  patent-office  at  Washington,  of  ma 
chines  which  were  intended  to  effect  this  purpose.  Seven  miles 
and  a  half  higher  up,  Green  river  unites  itself  to  the  Ohio  on  the 
left  bank.  Of  this  the  Western  Navigator  says:  "  that  it  is  a 
considerable  river  in  Kentucky,  navigable  about  two  hundred 
miles,  and  rises  in  Lincoln  county."  On  board  our  boat  we  did 
not  find  ourselves  comfortable,  either  in  respect  to  lodging,  or 
the  table.  All  was  small  and  confined,  and  in  the  evening  we 
were  much  annoyed  by  the  mosquetoes.  My  mosqueto  bar, 
purchased  in  New  Orleans,  assisted,  me  very  much  as  a  defence 
during  the  night. 

During  the  night,  we  stopped  several  times  to  take  in  wood, 
and  once  to  repair  the  engine.  An  overhanging  tree,  which  we 
approached  too  nearly,  gave  us  a  powerful  blow,  and  did  much 
damage  to  the  upper  part  of  the  vessel.  I  had  no  state  room, 
and  therefore  obtained  no  sleep  during  the  constant  uproar. 
The  banks  became  constantly  higher,  and  more  picturesque  in 
their  appearance.  They  were  frequently  rocky:  in  several  rocks 
we  observed  cavities,  which  with  the  houses  built  in  front  of 
them,  produced  a  pleasing  effect.  Upon  the  right  bank,  was  a 
little  place  called  Troy;  several  settlements,  composed  of  frame 
houses,  instead  of  logs.  Towards  evening  we  saw  upon  the 
left  bank,  the  mouth  of  a  little  stream,  Sinking  creek.  Upon 
the  right  shore  of  this  creek,  is  a  group  of  houses  called  Rome, 
and  on  the  left  a  little  place,  named  Stevensport;  both  places  are 
united  by  a  wooden  bridge,  resting  upon  one  high  pier.  I  spent 
nearly  the  whole  day  on  deck,  to  regale  myself  with  the  beauti 
ful  landscapes  surrounding  us.  Between  several  turns  of  the 
river  the  country  is  so  shut  in,  that  one  would  suppose  himself 
sailing  on  a  lake.  The  agreeable  sensations  caused  by  the  beautiful 
country,  and  the  mild  spring  temperature  which  surrounded  me, 
upon  the  whole  compensated  for  many  of  our  privations.  We  in 
deed  were  in  want  of  every  thing  but  absolute  necessaries.  I  met 
an  acquaintance  indeed;  one  of  our  fellow  travellers  who  had 
formerly  been  a  clerk  of  the  English  North  West  Company,  and 
had  remained  three  years  at  the  posts  of  the  company  in  the 
Rocky  Mountains,  and  on  the  Columbia  river;  but  this  person 


128 

had  acquired  so  many  of  the  habits  of  the  savages,  that  his  com 
pany  was  in  no  wise  an  acquisition.  I  was  also,  as  well  as  all  the 
other  gentlemen  who  had  been  in  that  unlucky  Mount  Vernon, 
tormented  with  constant  pains  in  the  limbs,  and  our  coarse  food 
was  so  bad,  that  it  was  hardly  possible  to  consume  it.  There  was 
neither  wine  nor  beer  on  board,  nor  any  acids,  so  that  water  and 
whiskey,  were  the  beverages  to  which  we  were  reduced.  For 
many  years  I  had  never  undergone  such  gastronomic  privations, 
as  in  the  western  parts  of  America.  The  Ohio  appears  to  con 
tain  many  good  and  well  tasted  fish,  but  it  seems  that  the  people 
here  prefer  the  eternal  hog  meat,  and  that  mostly  salted,  to  every 
thing  else,  for  until  now  I  had  seen  no  fish  in  these  regions,  at 
least  none  procured  for  eating.  In  the  night,  we  advanced  on 
our  voyage  without  stop  or  accident. 

On  the  morning  of  the  26th  of  April,  we  saw  the  mouth  of 
Salt  river,  which,  as  the  Western  Navigator  says,  is  a  consider 
able  river  of  Kentucky,  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  yards  wide 
at  its  mouth,  and  navigable  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles.  Twenty 
miles  above  this,  the  little  town  of  New  Albany  lies  on  the  right 
bank,  which  promises  to  be  a  flourishing  place.  It  has  a  factory 
of  steam-engines,  which  finds  good  employment  here.  On  the 
bank,  a  newly-built  steam-boat  was  lying,  waiting  for  her  engine. 
These  engines  must  be  built  very  strong,  proportionably  too 
powerful  for  the  tonnage  of  the  vessel,  on  account  of  the  stiffness 
of  the  current.  They  of  consequence  suffer  a  violent  shock  from 
it,  and  can  only  be  used  about  three  years.  An  island  in  the  river 
divides  it  into  two  narrow  channels,  in  which  there  are  rapid 
currents.  Above  the  island  is  the  foot  of  the  Falls  of  Ohio.  At 
the  present  high  stage  of  water,  the  descent  does  not  strike  the 
eye,  and  vessels  are  able  to  pass  up  or  down  the  river  over  the 
falls.  Ours,  which  went  no  farther  up,  stopped  on  the  left  bank 
at  Shippingport,  opposite  New  Albany,  two  miles  belowr  Louis 
ville. 

Shippingport,  is  an  insignificant  place,  which  is  supported  by 
the  lading  and  unlading  of  vessels.  We  found  several  hack 
ney  coaches,  which  carried  us  and  our  baggage  by  land  to  Louis 
ville,  where  we  took  up  our  abode  in  a  large  and  respectable  inn, 
called  Washington  Hall,  kept  by  a  Mr.  Allen.  The  Western 
Navigator  has  the  following  remarks  upon  this  neighbourhood: 
'  The  rapids  of  the  Ohio  are,  in  a  natural  as  well  as  a  political  re 
gard,  a  point  well  deserving  of  attention.  In  low  states  of  the 
water,  they  are  the  termination  of  navigation  by  steam-boats,  and 
the  last  place  in  the  descent  of  the  Ohio,  where  any  considerable 
impediment  occurs  in  its  course.  A  number  of  infant  towns  have 
already  sprung  up  on  both  shores  of  the  Ohio,  in  the  neighbour 
hood  of  this  point,  Jeierson,  Clarksburg,  and  New  Albany,  in 


129 

Indiana;  Louisville,  Shippingport,  and  Portland,  in  Kentucky. 
Among  these  is  Louisville,  the  principal,  with  a  population  of 
three  thousand  souls;  while  new  Albany  contains  about  one  thou 
sand,  Shippingport  six  hundred,  and  Jeffersonville  five  hundred 
inhabitants;  all  these  "are  thriving  situations.  Inclusive  of  the 
towns  and  neighbourhood,  there  is  a  population  of  ten  thousand 
people  in  this  vicinity.  In  the  year  1810,  Louisville  contain 
ed  only  thirteen  hundred  and  fifty-seven  inhabitants;  it  exceeds 
beyond  a  doubt  its  present  estimate  of  five  thousand,  and  will 
still  increase.  It  is  the  seat  of  justice  for  Jefferson  county,  Ken 
tucky,  contains  a  prison,  court-house,  and  the  other  essential 
buildings,  besides  a  theatre,  three  banks,  of  which  one  is  a  branch 
of  the  United  States  Bank,  a  market,  several  places  of  worship, 
and  three  printing-offices.  Louisville  lies  in  38°  18'  north  lati 
tude,  and  5°  42'  west  longitude  from  Washington." 

Louisville,  at  least  the  main  street  of  it,  running  parallel  with 
the  Ohio,  has  a  good  appearance.  This  street  is  rather  broad, 
paved,  and  provided  with  foot-walks;  it  contains  brick  buildings 
and  several  considerable  stores.  In  our  hotel,  J  renewed  my  ac 
quaintance  with  Major  Davenport,  of  the  sixth  regiment  of  in 
fantry,  whom,  together  with  his  lady,  I  had  known  in  Washing 
ton,  at  General  Brown's,  and  who  is  here  on  recruiting  duty.  It 
fell  out  luckily  enough,  that  the  post-master  here,  Mr.  Gray,  had 
just  married  his  daughter,  and  in  compliment  to  her  gave  a  splen 
did  party,  to  which  I  received  an  invitation.  I  repaired  to  it 
with  Major  Davenport,  and  found  an  extremely  numerous,  and, 
contrary  to  my  expectations,  even  an  elegant  society.  It  was  a 
real  English  rout,  so  full  that  many  of  the  guests  were  obliged  to 
remain  on  the  steps.  I  was  introduced  to  most  of  the  ladies  and 
gentlemen,  was  forced  to  talk  a  good  deal,  and  found  myself  very 
much  annoyed  by  the  heat  prevailing  in  the  rooms.  About  eleven 
o'clock,  I  reached  home  heartily  fatigued. 

In  former  years,  when  the  state  of  Kentucky  was  an  integral 
part  of  Virginia,  Louisville  consisted  of  a  stockade,  built  as  a 
protection  against  the  hostile  Indian  tribes,  who  then  still  in 
habited  the  banks  of  the  Ohio.  It  received  its  name  as  a  mark  of 
respect  for  the  unfortunate  King,  Louis  XVI.  This  is  attributa 
ble  to  the  Canadian  traders,  who  established  this  post  to  secure 
their  trade.  By  degrees  white  settlers  joined  them,  and  thus  the 
town  commenced,  which  at  first  suffered  much  from  the  Indians. 
It  is  five  hundred  and  eighty  miles  distant  from  Pittsburgh,  one 
hundred  and  thirty-one  from  Cincinnati,  and  thirteen  hundred 
and  forty-nine  from  New  Orleans.  I  took  a  walk  with  Major 
Davenport  through  the  town,  and  to  the  new  canal.  It  consists 
of  three  streets  running  parallel  with  the  Ohio,  of  which  only  the 
first  or  front  one  is  built  out  completely  and  paved;  and  of  several 

VOL.  II.  17 


130 

cross  streets  which  cut  the  former  at  right  angles.  It  has  several 
churches,  tolerably  well  built;  a  new  one  was  began,  but  on  rather 
too  large  a  scale.  The  pious  funds  were  exhausted;  therefore  a 
lodge  of  freemasons  undertook  the  finishing  of  this  grand  house, 
and  kept  it  for  their  own  use.  The  canal  is  destined  to  light 
vessels  over  the  Ohio,  when  they  cannot-pass  the  falls  on  account 
of  low  water,  and  are  obliged  to  discharge  their  cargo.  It  is  ap 
prehended  however,  that  the  money  invested  in  the  canal  will 
not  yield  a  great  interest,  as  the  time  of  service,  for  which  the 
canal  is  required  does  not  extend  beyond  three  months.  During 
six  months  of  the  year  the  Ohio  is  so  low,  that  not  a  solitary  boat 
can  navigate  it,  and  when  it  rises,  it  becomes  so  high,  that  the 
rocks  which  produce  the  rapids  are  covered,  so  that  vessels  can 
go  up  and  down  without  danger.  The  labour  on  the  canal  has 
been  commenced  about  six  weeks.  The  banks  in  the  neighbour 
hood  of  the  canal  are  high,  and  present  a  beautiful  prospect  over 
the  rapids,  and  the  adjacent  region,  which  is  well  cultivated  and 
bounded  by  woody  hills. 

A  second  walk  with  Major  Davenport,  was  directed  to  the 
north  side  of  the  "town,  where  several  respectable  country  houses 
are  situated,  all  built  of  brick;  and  then  to  a  handsome  wood, 
through  which  a  causeway  runs,  which  is  used  by  the  inhabitants 
as  a  pleasure  walk.  The  wood  contains  very  handsome  beech 
trees,  sugar  maples,  sycamores  and  locust  trees,  also  different 
species  of  nut-bearing  trees. 

The  state  of  Kentucky  is  involved  at  this  period  in  consider 
able  confusion.  A  son  of  Governor  Desha,  was  arrested  on  a 
charge  of  having  robbed  and  murdered  a  traveller  the  year  be 
fore;  was  tried  and  found  guilty  by  two  different  juries.  For  the 
purpose  of  screening  his  son,  as  was  reported,  the  governor  had 
changed  the  whole  court,  and  filled  it  anew  with  his  own  crea 
tures.  There  was  a  prodigious  excitement  through  the  state  at 
this  arbitrary  stroke  of  authority.  It  was  torn  by  parties;  I  was 
assured  that  political  struggles,  often  terminating  in  sanguinary 
conflicts,  were  the  order  of  the  day ;  nay,  that  this  division  nad 
already  given  occasion  to  several  assassinations.  It  is  said  to  be 
almost  as  dangerous  to  speak  upon  the  political  relations  of  the 
state,  as  to  converse  upon  religion  in  Spain. 

A  merchant  from  Lexington,  Mr.  Wenzel,  a  native  of  Bavaria, 
made  me  acquainted  with  an  architect,  Barret,  from  New  York, 
"who  has  the  superintendence  over  the  canal  that  is  going  for 
ward.  I  received  some  more  particular  intelligence  from  this 
person  concerning  the  work.  The  expense  was  estimated  at 
three  hundred  and  seventy-seven  thousand  dollars.  The  labour 
on  it  began  this  March,  and  is  to  be  concluded  in  the  month  of 
November  of  the  following  year.  The  length  of  the  canal 


131 

amounts  to  nearly  two  miles.  It  commences  below  Louisville 
in  a  small  bay,  goes  behind  Shippingport,  and  joins  the  Ohio 
between  that  place  and  Portland.  Its  descent  was  reckoned 
at  twenty-four  feet.  Three  locks,  each,  at  a  distance  of  one  hun 
dred  and  ninety  feet  from  each  other,  will  be  located  not  far 
from  the  mouth  near  Shippingport,  and  the  difference  of  level 
in  each  will  be  eight  feet.  The  breadth  of  the  locks  was  fixed 
at  fifty  feet,  to  admit  of  the  passage  of  the  broadest  steam 
boat,  on  which  account  also  the  interval  from  one  lock  to  the 
other  was  made  one  hundred  and  ninety  feet.  Above  the  highest 
lock  on  both  sides  of  the  canal,  dry  docks  will  be  constructed  for 
steam-boats  to  repair  in.  The  sides  of  the  canal  are  only  walled 
with  masonry  between  the  locks.  The  banks  above  are  in  a  ter 
race  form.  One  advantage  this  canal  has,  is  that  the  bottom  con 
sists  of  rock;  the  depth  to  which  it  is  hewed  or  blown  out, 
must  be  throughout  fifty  feet  wide.  The  rock,  however,  which 
is  broke  out  here  is  a  brittle  limestone,  which  is  not  fit  for  water 
masonry,  and  of  course  does  'hot  answer  for  locks.  The  rock 
employed  for  this  work  is  a  species  of  blue  stone,  brought  out 
of  the  state  of  Indiana,  and  a  bulk  of  sixteen  square  feet,  four 
feet  deep,  costs  four  dollars  delivered  at  the  canal.  To  dig  this 
canal  out,  twenty-seven  feet  of  yellow  clay  at  its  thickest  part, 
then  seven  feet  thick  of  yellow  sand;  from  here  fifteen  feet 
thick  of  blue  clay,  must  be  passed  through  before  you  come 
to  the  rock,  where  there  are  ten  feet  thickness  still  to  be  dug 
away.  As  for  the  lock  gates,  they  were  to  be  made  only  of 
timber,  and  none  of  the  improvements  introduced  in  England, 
either  the  elliptical  form  of  the  gates,  or  the  iron  frames  were  to 
be  employed.  Moreover,  I  observed  from  the  profile  of  the  work, 
the  incredible  height  of  the  river,  which  often  raises  itself  fifty 
feet  over  places  fordable  in  the  last  of  summer. 

Upon  the  following  day  I  took  a  walk  with  Dr.  Croghan  and 
Major  Davenport,  down  the  canal  to  Shippingport,  and  witnessed 
the  labour  in  removing  the  earth  for  the  canal.  The  soil  in 
tended  to  be  dug  out,  was  first  ploughed  by  a  heavy  plough, 
drawn  by  six  oxen.  Afterwards  a  sort  of  scoop  drawn  by  two 
horses  was  filled  with  earth,  (and  it  contained  three  times  as  much 
as  an  ordinary  wheel-barrow,)  it  was  then  carried  up  the  slope, 
where  it  was  deposited,  and  the  scoop  was  brought  back  to  be  filled 
anew.  In  this  manner  much  time  and  manual  labour  was  saved. 

Several  steam-boats  lie  at  Shippingport,  among  them  was  the 
General  Wayne,  which  had  arrived  at  New  Orleans  in  five  days 
voyage  from  this  place;  had  stopt  there  five  days  on  account  of 
unloading,  and  reloading,  and  had  made  her  return  trip  from  New 
Orleans  to  Louisville  in  ten  days;  consequently  had  moved 
against  the  stream  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  miles  daily.  Se- 


132 

veral  hackney  coaches  waited  here  from  Louisville,  expecting 
the  arrival  of  the  steam-boat  George  Washington,  which  was 
looked  for  every  minute.  The  country  is  highly  romantic.  We 
found  ourselves  on  an  eminence  upon  the  bank,  where  a  large 
substantial  warehouse  had  been  built  jutting  over  the  river.  Be 
fore  us  was  the  foot  of  the  falls;  opposite  an  island  overgrown 
with  wood,  to  the  right  the  falls,  and  Louisville  in  the  back 
ground;  to  the  left  on  the  other  shore,  New  Albany,  and  all 
around  in  the  rear,  a  green  forest  of  the  finest  trees. 

On  our  return  we  passed  by  a  large  deserted  brick  building. 
It  is  called  the  Hope  Distillery,  and  was  established  by  a  com 
pany  of  speculators  to  do  business  on  a  large  scale.  After  the 
company  had  invested  about  seventy  thousand  dollars,  several  of 
the  stockholders  stopped  payment.  One  of  them  procured  the 
whole  at  auction  for  three  thousand  dollars,  and  would  now  let 
any  one  have  it  for  less.  In  the  year  1817,  the  desire  to  buy 
land  and  build  upon  it,  had  risen  to  a  mania  in  this  place.  Dr. 
Croghan  showed  me  a  lot  of  ground,  which  he  had  then  purchas 
ed  for  two  thousand  dollars,  and  for  which,  at  present,  no  one 
would  hardly  offer  him  seven  hundred.  He  has  hired  a  German 
gardener,  who  has  laid  out  a  very  pretty  vegetable  garden  on  this 
spot,  which  will  yield  considerable  profit  by  his  industrious  ma 
nagement. 

Dr.  Ferguson,  a  physician  here,  carried  us  to  the  hospital. 
This  edifice  lies  insulated  upon  a  small  eminence.  The  building 
was  commenced  several  years  ago,  and  is  not  yet  finished. 
The  state  of  Kentucky  gave  the  ground  as  a  donation,  and  bears 
a  part  of  the  expenses  of  building.  As  the  establishment  is  prin 
cipally  used  for  the  reception  of  sick  seamen,  congress  has  given 
the  hospital  a  revenue  from  the  custom-house  in  New  Orleans. 
The  hospital  consists  of  a  basement  story,  three  stories  above, 
and  wings,  which  each  have  a  basement  and  two  stories.  In  the 
basement  of  the  centre  building,  are  the  kitchen,  wash-house,  the 
store-rooms,  &c.,  and  in  the  upper  story,  the  chamber  for  the 
meeting  of  the  directors,  the  apothecary's  room,  the  steward's 
dwelling,  and  the  state  rooms  for  patients  paying  board  and  lodg 
ing.  In  the  third  story  a  theatre  for  surgical  operations  will  be 
arranged.  In  the  wings  are  roomy  and  well  aired  apartments  for 
the  white  patients,  and  in  the  basement,  those  for  the  negroes 
and  coloured  persons.  Slavery  is  still  permitted  in  Kentucky. 
There  has  been  until  now  only  one  apartment  habitable,  in  which 
twelve  patients  are  lying.  These  have  cleanly  beds,  but  only 
wooden  bedsteads.  When  the  building  is  thoroughly  finished, 
it  will  contain  at  least  one  hundred  and  fifty  persons  with  com 
fort.  Such  an  establishment  is  extremely  necessary  for  such  a 
place  as  Louisville,  which  is  very  unhealthy  in  summer. 


183 

I  made  with  Major  Davenport  an  excursion  into  the  country, 
to  the  very  respectable  country-seat,  Locust  Grove,  six  miles  from 
Louisville,  belonging  to  Dr.  Croghan  and  a  younger  brother,  and 
inherited  from  their  father.  Close  by  the  town  we  crossed  a 
small  stream,  which  falls  here  into  the  Ohio,  and  is  called  Bear 
Grass  creek.  This  serves  the  keel  and  flat  boats  as  a  very  safe 
harbour.  From  the  bridge  over  this,  the  road  goes  several  miles 
through  a  handsome  wood  on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  past  coun 
try-seats,  and  well  cultivated  fields,  behind  which  fine  looking 
hills  arose.  The  wood  consisted  mostly  of  sycamores.  We 
observed  five  that  sprung  from  one  root;  two  are  quite  com 
mon.  The  trees  are  very  thick.  We  measured  the  bulk  of  the 
thickest  sycamore,  and  found  it  twenty-seven  feet  four  inches 
in  circumference.  I  never  recollect  to  have  seen  such  a  mam 
moth  tree.  Locust  Grove  itself  lies  about  a  mile  from  the  river, 
and  is,  as  appears  from  its  name,  surrounded  by  those  trees. 
We  found  here  the  doctor,  his  brother  William  Croghan,  with 
his  young  wife,  a  native  of  Pittsburgh,  and  a  fat,  lovely  little  boy, 
who  strikingly  reminded  me  of  my  sons. 

At  a  party  in  the  house  of  Mr.  Use,  a  rich  merchant  and  pre 
sident  of  the  branch  of  the  United  States  Bank  here,  we  met  a 
very  numerous  and  splendid  society.  Cotillions  and  reels  were 
danced  to  the  music  of  a  single  violin,  and  every  thing  went  off 
pleasantly.  We  remained  till  midnight,  and  the  company  were 
still  keeping  up  the  dance,  when  we  left  them. 

Dr.  Ferguson  was  very  much  occupied  in  vaccination.  The 
natural  small-pox  had  made  its  appearance  within  a  few  days, 
under  a  very  malignant  form,  in  the  town.  On  this  account  every 
one  had  their  children  vaccinated  as  speedily  as  possible;  even 
those  who  were  prejudiced  against  vaccination.  In  the  evening, 
I  went  with  Major  and  Mrs.  Davenport  to  the  house  of  Mrs. 
Wilson,  to  tea,  whose  daughter,  fifteen  years  of  age,  had  been 
married  above  a  month.  The  young  females  marry  much  too 
early  here,  quite  as  early  as  in  Louisiana. 

There  were  two  pieces  represented  at  the  theatre  for  the  be 
nefit  of  a  Mrs.  Drake;  Man  and  Wife,  a  favourite  English  drama, 
and  a  farce  called  Three  Weeks  after  Marriage.  W^e  were  pre 
sent  on  this  occasion.  The  proscenium  is  very  small;  a  confined 
pit,  a  single  row  of  boxes,  and  a  gallery.  It  was  well  filled ; 
as  Mrs.  Drake  was  very  much  a  favourite  with  the  ladies  here, 
all  the  boxes  were  full  of  the  fashionables  of  the  place.  The 
dramatic  corps  was  very  ordinary  with  the  exception  of  Mrs. 
Drake.  Most  of  the  actors  were  dressed  very  badly,  had  not 
committed  their  parts,  and  played  in  a  vulgar  style.  One  actor 
was  so  intoxicated,  that  he  was  hardly  able  to  keep  his  legs. 

I  was  furthermore  witness  to  a  revolting  spectacle  in  Louis- 


134 

ville,  from  which  I  escaped  as  quick  as  I  was  able.  A  pregnant 
mulatto  woman  was  offered  for  sale  at  public  auction,  with  her 
two  children.  The  woman  stood  with  her  children  on  a  bench 
at  a  coffee-house;  the  auctioneer  standing  by  her  side,  indulged 
himself  in  brutal  jests  upon  her  thriving  condition,  and  sold  her 
for  four  hundred  dollars! 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

^  ^^ 

Cincinnati,  interior  of  the  State  of  Ohio. — Pittsburgh,  in 
Pennsylvania.      , 

ON  the  30th  of  April  I  was  very  agreeably  surprised  by  a  visit 
from  Colonel  Wool,  returning  from  an  inspection  on  the  Red  river, 
the  Arkansa,  and  New  Orleans:  he  had  ascended  the  stream  in 
the  steam-boat  Washington,  and  arrived  in  the  night  at  Ship- 
pingport.  Being  on  his  return  to  Washington,  he  took  his  pas 
sage  on  board  the  steam-boat  Atlanta,  for  Pittsburgh.  As  this  boat 
stopped  at  Cincinnati,  whither  it  was  my  intention  to  go,  I  im 
mediately  concluded  upon  continuing  my  journey  in  the  same 
boat,  to  enjoy  as  long  as  possible  the  society  of  so  estimable  a 
friend.  We  went  on  board  between  ten  and  eleven.  The  Atlanta 
was  crowded  with  passengers,  but  we  were  fixed  very  comforta 
bly  and  neatly.  The  greater  part  of  the  passengers  were  from 
Natchez,  who  came  with  the  intention  of  spending  the  summer 
in  the  healthier  northern  states.  Among  them  was  Major 
Chotard,  who  was  going  with  his  family  to  New  York,  whence 
he  intended  to  embark  for  France;  and  Abbe  Martial,  a  French 
man,  who  had  kept  a  boarding-school  in  New  Orleans  for  a  long 
time,  and  was  at  that  time  employed  by  the  Bishop  of  Kentucky  in 
Bairdstown,  on  whose  account  he  was  to  travel  in  France  and  Italy. 

Our  trip  up  the  river  was  very  pleasant.  The  weather  was 
fine ;  the  shores  of  the  Ohio  became  more  and  more  interesting 
the  higher  we  ascended  the  stream.  In  the  afternoon,  we  per 
ceived  on  the  right  shore  the  little  town  of  Madison,  situated  on 
an  eminence.  It  appeared  to  be  in  a  flourishing  condition,  and 
contained  many  brick  houses ;  a  multitude  of  well-dressed  per 
sons  were  standing  on  the  shore.  Towards  evening  we  passed 
the  mouth  of  the  Kentucky  river  on  the  left  shore.  The  Ken 
tucky  river,  according  to  the  Western  Navigator,  is  a  beauti- 
iul  river  in  Kentucky.  'It  originates  in  the  Cumberland  moun- 


135 

tains,  is  two  hundred  miles  in  length,  one  hundred  and  fifty  of 
which  are  navigable.  Its  mouth  is  one  hundred  and  sixty  yards 
broad,  and  proves  to  be  an  excellent  harbour  for  boats.  The  town 
occupies  a  very  pretty  situation ;  above  its  mouth,  and  farther 
down  lies  Preston ville.  The  flourishing  town  of  Frankfort,  the 
seat  of  government,  is  situated  about  sixty  miles  from  the  mouth 
ol*  the  river.  The  former  is  five  hundred  and  twenty-four  and  a  half 
miles  distant  from  Pittsburgh,  fifty-seven  and  a  half  from  Cincin 
nati,  and  fifty-five  and  a  half  from  Louisville.  Shortly  after  leaving 
Louisville,  we  were  followed  by  another  steam-boat  called  the  Ge 
neral  Marion,  towards  evening  it  reached,  and  wanted  to  pass  us; 
a  race  took  place,  which  discomposed  us  considerably,  and  became 
dangerous  to  a  high  degree.  The  boilers,  being  soon  over-heat 
ed',  might  have  burst  and  occasioned  a  great  disaster  ;  during  this 
time  we  were  so  close  together,  that  the  railing,  as  well  as  the 
roofs  of  the  wheels  knocked  against  each  other.  The  danger 
increased  as  night  drew  on,  and  particularly  so  as  there  were 
a  great  number  of  ladies  on  board,  who  were  crying  in  a 
most  piteous  manner.  One  of  them  conducted  herseff  most 
distractedly ;  she  fell  into  hysteric  fits,  wanted  to  throw  her 
self  in  the  water  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  boat,  and  could 
scarcely  be  prevented  by  three  strong  men.  The  heating  of  the 
boilers  of  the  General  Marion  had  been  so  violent,  that  they  ran 
short  of  wood,  and  to  their  great  confusion,  and  our  extreme 
satisfaction,  they  were  not  only  left  behind,  but  were  overtaken 
by  the  slow  steam-boat  Ohio:  thus  the  Atlanta  obtained  a  bril 
liant  victory.  Ten  miles  above  the  mouth  of  the  Kentucky  river 
on  the  right  shore,  is  the  little  town  of  Vevay,  built  and  inhabited 
by  Switzers.  They  planted  vineyards,  which  it  is  said  give 
them  a  good  revenue.  I  regretted  very  much  that  we  passed 
them  by  night,  and  thus  were  deprived  of  the  view  of  Vevay. 
On  the  left  shore  is  a  small  village  called  Ghent,  in  honour  of  the 
treaty  concluded  in  that  city,  in  Flanders.  I  regretted  not  to 
have  been  able  to  visit  that  place,  if  only  on  account  of  the  name. 
Without  farther  accident  we  went  on  the  whole  night,  and  next 
morning  found  ourselves  opposite  to  the  mouth  of  the  Great 
Miami,  which  joins  the  Ohio  from  the  right  shore.  This  stream 
forms  the  boundary  between  the  states  of  Indiana  and  Ohio,  and 
the  Western  Navigator  makes  the  following  observation  concern 
ing  it.  "  The  Great  Miami  is  a  considerable  river,  which  takes 
its  sources  in  Allen,  Logan,  Shelby,  Merion,  and  Drake  coun 
ties.  It  runs  southerly  through  Miami  and  Montgomery  coun 
ties',  and  receives  in  the  last  two  considerable  rivers,  on  the  left 
the- Mad  river,  and  on  the  right  the  south-west  fork.  On  enter 
ing  Butler  county  the  Miami  takes  a  south-westerly  direction,  and 
flows  into  the  Ohio  at  the  south-west  corner  of  this  state,  and  the 
north-east  one  of  Indiana.  Its  course  is  one  hundred  and  twenty 


136 

miles.  Its  sources  situated  between  40°  and  41°  lat.  are  in  the  vici 
nity  of  the  Massassinaway,  a  branch  of  the  Wabash,  the  Auglaize 
and  St.  Mary's,  which  are  branches  of  the  Maumee  and  the  Sciota, 
its  course  is  in  general  rapid,  but  without  any  considerable  falls, 
and  runs  through  a  large  and  fertile  valley  which  is  partly  sub 
merged  by  high  water.  Near  Dayton,  about  seventy-five  miles 
from  its  mouth,  the  Miami  receives  on  the  east  side  the  Mad  river; 
from  this  place  boats  carrying  three  and  four  thousand  barrels, 
may  run  into  the  Ohio  during  high  water.  The  trial  of  ascending 
Mad  river  is  seldom  made,  the  stream  being  too  rapid  and  there 
being  a  great  many  sand-banks  and  dams.  The  Miami  has  a 
diameter  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  during  forty  miles. 

We  found  the  shores  of  the  Ohio  well  cultivated,  with  orchards 
and  Indian  corn:  we  observed  several  very  pretty  country-seats. 
These  shores  are  mostly  elevated,  and  at  the  distance  of  about  a 
mile  we  could  perceive  a  chain  of  hills  covered  with  woods,  which 
made  a  fine  prospect.  Towards  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  we 
reached  Cincinnati,  four  hundred  and  forty-nine  miles  from  Pitts 
burgh,  one  hundred  and  thirty-one  from  Louisville,  and  fourteen 
hundred  and  eighty  from  New  Orleans.  It  is  situated  on  the 
right  shore  of  the  Ohio,  and  built  at  the  foot  of  a,  hill,  which  is 
surrounded  by  a  half  circle  of  higher  hills  covered  with  forests. 
This  city  presents  a  very  fine  aspect.  The  hills  on  the  opposite 
side  likewise  form  a  half  circle,  and  in»this  manner  the  hill  on 
which  Cincinnati  is  built,  lies  as  it  were  in  a  basin.  On  the  left 
shore,  the  Licking  river  flows  into  the  Ohio.  This,  says  the 
Western  Navigator,  is  a  considerable  river  in  Kentucky,  which, 
originating  not  far  from  the  sources  of  the  Cumberland  and  run 
ning  about  two  hundred  miles  in  a  north-westerly  direction,  flows 
into  the  Ohio  opposite  Cincinnati.  The  towns  of  Newport  and 
Covington,  the  former  immediately  above,  and  the  latter  below 
the  mouth  of  Licking  river,  are  beautifully  situated  in  Camp 
bell  county,  Kentucky:  Newport  contains  a  military  depot  of 
the  United  States.  The  shores  near  Cincinnati  are  rather  steep, 
and  to  render  the  loading  and  unloading  of  boats  more  conveni 
ent,  they  are  paved  and  provided  with  rings  and  chains  of  iron. 

Before  we  could  land,  the  health  officers  came  on  board  to 
seek  information  respecting  the  health  of  the  passengers,  as 
great  fears  were  entertained  in  Cincinnati  of  the  small-pox, 
which  was  raging  in  Louisville.  We  took  lodgings  at  Mack's, 
a  good  hotel,  near  the  shore.  Shortly  after  our  arrival,  I  took  a 
walk  in  town  with  Colonel  Wool  and  Major  Foster,  of  the  sixth 
regiment,  who  came  here  to  recruit.  We  visited  some  bookstores. 
The  town  contains  about  fifteen  thousand  inhabitants,  .and  con 
sists  mostly  of  brick  houses.  Some  of  the  streets  run  parallel 
with  the  Ohio,  and  others  form  a  right-angle  with  them,  which 
makes  them' very  regular;  they  are  wide,  well-paved,  and  have 


137 

side- walks.  Those  streets  which  cross  in  the  direction  of  the  river, 
ascend  and  lead  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  from  which  there  is  a  view 
resembling  a  panorama.  Here  they  were  building  a  large  Catho 
lic  cathedral,  which  was  commenced  during  the  last  year,  and 
would  probably  be  finished  the  next:  it  will  be  an  ornament  to 
the  city.  The  Bishop,  Mr.  Fenwick,  had  been  travelling  for 
some  years  past  in  the  Catholic  countries  of  Europe,  and  had  col 
lected  considerable  contributions  for  the  construction  of  this  ca 
thedral.  The  old  cathedral,  a  modest  wooden  building,  stands 
yet  in  the  rear  of  the  new  one; 'it  is  to  be  demolished  when  the 
former  is  finished.  Cincinnati  was  settled  in  the  year  1788,  round 
an  old  fort,  called  Washington.  The  first  settlers  came  from  New 
England.  The  settlement  did  not  succeed  until  1794,  when  Gene 
ral  Wayne  subdued  the  Indians.  In  1815,  it  contained  six  thou 
sand  five  hundred,  in  1818,  about  nine  thousand,  and  in  1826, 
about  fifteen  thousand.  Cincinnati  is  the  most  important  city 
of  the  western  states.  There  are  two  Presbyterian,  two  Metho 
dist,  one  Episcopal,  one  Baptist,  one  Swedenborg,  and  one  Quaker 
church,  and  the  Catholic  cathedral.  There  are  three  markets, 
and  several  museums.  We  visited  the  principal  one,  called  the 
Western  Museum,  but  did  not  meet  with  any  thing  new:  several 
Indian  dresses,  weapons,  pipes,  a  human  scalp,  a  dried  human 
head  from  the  South  Sea  Islands,  the  head  of  an  Egyptian  mum 
my,  manuscripts  on  papyrus  from  the  sarcophagus  of  the  mum 
mies,  several  ancient  and  modern  coins,  the  last  consisting  mostly 
of  foreign  gold  coins,  and  some  objects  of  natural  history ;  a  hand 
some  collection  of  birds,  many  of  them  European,  several  quad 
rupeds,  some  minerals,  as  well  as  an  indifferent  collection  of  but 
terflies.  We  also  saw  some  oil  paintings,*  scarcely  worth  men 
tioning,  and  finally  some  show-boxes. 

To  my  great  regret,  Colonel  Wool  left  us  this  day,  to  continue 
his  journey  up  the  river,  on  board  the  Atlanta.  Having  seen  on 
the  map  of  the  city  of  Cincinnati,  the  indication  of  some  Indian 
moundsj  I  went  in  search  of  them,  but  was  unsuccessful,  for  the 
very  good  reason  that  the  hills  had  been  demolished  and  in  their 
place  houses  built  After  this  I  called  on  Bishop  Fenwick,  but 
he  was  not  at  home.  I  here  met  with  a  clergyman  who  was  a 
native  of  Hildesheim,  his  name  was  Rese,  who  was  educated  in  the 
Propaganda  in  Rome.  This  man  showed  me  the  old  and  new 
cathedral.  The  former  is  built  of  wood,  resembling  a  German 
village  church;  in  its  interior  the  splendid  episcopal  seat  is  par 
ticularly  distinguished.  The  altar  had  but  few  ornaments  with 

*  These  had  been  presented  to  Bishop  Fenwick  by  Cardinal  Fesch,  for  his 
cathedral,  and  were  only  here,  until  they  could  find  their  place  in  the  Temple 
of  God. 

VOL.  II.  18 


138 

the  exception  of  four  silver  chandeliers  which  the  Queen  of  Etruria 
gave  to  Bishop  Fenwick  for  his  church,  and  a  gilded  tabernacle, 
a  gift  from  Pope  Pius  VII.  In  the  sacristy  there  were  no  orna 
ments,  with  the  exception  of  two  gilded  frames  with  relics.  The 
new  cathedral  is  a  spacious  and  lofty  building:  they  were  build 
ing  the  choir,  in  which  an  organ  made  in  Pittsburgh  was  to  be 
placed.  There  was  to  be  a  large  vault  under  the  altar,  destined 
for  the  sepulture  of  the  bishops  and  clergymen.  The  church  had 
not  as  yet  any  bells,  with  respect  to  these,  the  clergy  expected 
some  contributions  from  Italy.  The  vicar-general  of  the  bishop 
was  Abbe  Hill,*  he  had  formerly  been  a  captain  in  the  British 
service,  and  having  become  a  Catholic  while  in  Italy,  entered 
the  Dominican  order.  He  was  said  to  be  a  good  orator. 

Deer  creek  runs  into  the  Ohio  above  the  town — two  wooden 
bridges  lead  over  it.  This  brook  was  very  inconsiderable, and  could 
be  leaped  over,  but  it  was  evident  from  its  steep  shores  that  it 
swelled  sometimes  to  a  great  height.  On  the  other  side  of  this 
creek  is  the  highest  hill  in  the  vicinity.  From  its  summit  there 
is  a  delightful  prospect  over  the  city  and  valley,  the  centre  of 
which  it  occupies.  This  view,  even  in  Europe,  would  be  consi 
dered  as  very  handsome.  I  found  on  the  top  a  great  quantity  of 
reddish  limestone  with  shells,  an  evident  proof  that  this  part  of 
the  country  was  formerly  covered  by  the  sea.  Among  the  gen 
tlemen  who  favoured  me  with  their  visits,  I  remember  a  General 
Neville,  from  Pittsburgh,  whose  father  had  been  adjutant  to  Ge 
neral  La  Fayette  during  the  revolutionary  war.  Mr.  Symmesyt 
brother  of  Captain  Symmes,  author  of  the  theory  that  our  planet 
is  hollow  and  inhabited,  drew  very  well,  and  had  collected  the 
likenesses  of  all  the  persons  visiting  Cincinnati  who  had  interest 
ed  him:  he  had  the  kindness  to  include  my  portrait  in  his  collec 
tion.  Some  of  these  gentlemen  conducted  me  to  see  the  remains 
of  Indian  antiquities  which  are  yet  existing,  but  which  could 
scarcely  be  recognized.  We  ascended  an  Indian  mound,  which 
is  about  thirty  feet  high,  situated  in  a  garden.  One  part  of  it  had 
been  cut  off,  but  nothing  being  found  in  it,  they  began  to  plant  it 
with  trees.  I  had  resolved  on  travelling  in  the  interior  of  the 
state  of  Ohio,  in  order  to  convince  myself  of  the  condition  of  this 
country,  which  has  been  inhabited  but  thirty  years  by  a  white 
population.  I  therefore  renounced  the  comfortable  travelling  on 
the  Ohio  for  the  inconvenient  passage  by  land.  To  be  enabled 
to  travel  at  my  leisure,  I  hired  a  carriage  with  four  horses,  at  six 
dollars  per  day,  and  left  Cincinnati  on  the  3rd  of  May,  at  eleven 
o'clock,  A.  M.  We  rode  that  day  twenty-one  miles,  to  the 

•  [Brother  of  Lord  Hill.]— TRAKS. 

t  [Peyton  Symmes,  Esq.  receiver  of  the  land  office.]— TBASTS. 


139 

lodgings  of  the  governor,  Mr.  Morrow,  to  whom  I  had  letters 
from  Governor  Johnson,  of  New  Orleans.  The  road  led  through 
a  hilly  and  well-cultivated  country.  The  fields  separated  by  worm 
fences  adjoin  each  other,  and  contain  good  dwelling-houses  and 
barns.  Their  extensive  orchards  mostly  contain  apple  and  peach 
trees.  I  had  not  seen  before  any  place  in  the  United  States  in  so 
high  a  state  of  cultivation.  But  alas!  the  rain  had  made  the  roads 
so  muddy,  that  it  was  with  difficulty  we  proceeded.  Fourteen 
miles  from  Cincinnati  we  reached  a  little  country  town,  Mont 
gomery,  of  very  good  appearance,  surrounded  with  handsome 
fields.  A  few  years  past  there  were  nothing  but  woods  here,  as 
the  roots  which  still  exist  bear  testimony.  They  cultivate  Indian 
corn  and  wheat,  which  is  said  to  succeed  better  here  than  in  the 
state  of  Indiana.  The  dwelling  of  the  governor  consists  of  a  plain 
frame  house,  situated  on  a  little  elevation  not  far  from  the  shore 
of  the  little  Miami,  and  is  entirely  surrounded  by  fields.  The 
business  of  the  state  calls  him  once  a  month  to  Columbus, 
the  seat  of  government,  and  the  remainder  of  his  time  he  passes 
at  his  country-seat,  occupied  with  farming,  a  faithful  copy  of  an 
ancient  Cincinnatus;  he  was  engaged  at  our  arrival  in  cutting  a 
wagon  pole,  but  he  immediately  stopt  his  work  to  give  us  a 
hearty  welcome.  He  appeared  to  be  about  fifty  years  of  age; 
is  not  tall,  but  thin  and  strong,  and  has  an  expressive  physiog 
nomy,  with  dark  and  animated  eyes.  He  is  a  native  of  Penn 
sylvania,  and  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  the  state  of 
Ohio.  He  offered  us  a  night's  lodging  at  his  house,  which>( 
invitation  we  accepted  very  thankfully.  When  seated  round 
the  chimney  fire  in  the  evening,  he  related  to  us  a  great 
many  of  the  dangers  and  difficulties  the  first  settlers  had  to 
contend  with.  They  suffered  mostly  from  the  Delawares,  the 
Indians  then  living  there.  They  had  to  place  their  houses  in 
a  state  of  defence.  There  are  at  present  scarcely  any  Indians  in 
the  state  of  Ohio,  and  it  is  not  now  necessary  for  the  inhabitants 
to  guard  their  crops  and  cattle,  or  to  tremble  for  their  lives.  The 
governor  told  us  that  the  increase  of  population  in  the  state  of 
Ohio  was  almost  incredible.  In  the  year  1800,  it  amounted  to 
two  hundred  thousand  inhabitants,  in  1810,  between  four  and 
five  hundred  thousand,  in  1820,  about  eight  hundred  thousand, 
and  it  is  to  be  expected  that  at  the  next  census  of  1830,  it  will  pass 
one  million.  Very  few  of  the  settlers  brought  any  thing  with 
them,  it  was  therefore  necessary  that  they  should  do  every  thing 
by  their  industry  and  exertion.  The  state  had  not  yet  been  able 
to  undertake  any  public  works,  roads,  &c.  The  two  canals  which 
were  constructing,  were  the  first  great  work  which  they  had  at 
tempted.  We  spent  our  evening  with  the  governor  and  his  lady. 
Their  children  are  settled,  and  they  have  with  them  only  a  cou- 


140 

pie  of  grandchildren.  When  we  took  our  seats  at  supper,  the 
governor  made  a  prayer.  There  was  a  bible  and  several  religious 
books  lying  on  the  table.  After  breakfasting  with  our  hospita 
ble  host,  we  took  our  leave  at  nine  o'clock,  and  rode  fifteen  miles 
to  Union  Village,  a  settlement  of  the  Shakers.  The  road  was 
again  hilly,  and  the  country  as  well  cultivated  as  that  we  saw 
yesterday;  we  passed  through  a  country  town  of  good  appearance, 
Lebanon,  which  lies  only  four  miles  from  the  Shaker  Village. 

Towards  three  o'clock,  P.  M.  we  reached  Union  Village,  and 
as  the  Shakers  do  not  allow  any  taverns  nor  public  houses, 
we  were  received  with  great  hospitality  into  one  of  their  private 
dwellings;  we  had  a  clean  and  very  nice  apartment.  Soon  after 
our  arrival,  we  were  visited  by  a  great  number  of  the  brothers, 
who  looked  at  us  in  a  very  scrutinizing  manner,  and  asked  us  a 
great  many  questions.  The  inquisitiveness  of  these  people  re 
sembles  very  much  that  of  the  monks,  to  whom  they  bear  a  strong 
resemblance.  I  remarked  among  them  two  old  persons  named 
M'Naman  and  Houston,  on  account  of  their  sensible  conversation; 
they  had  formerly  been  Presbyterian  clergymen,  and  are  now  a 
sort  of  church-wardens  to  the  congregation.  This  sect  consists  of 
six  hundred  members,  and  is  of  more  recent  origin  than  the  one 
in  the  state  of  New  York,  containing  mostly  people  of  limited 
fortune.  It  had  to  contend  in  the  commencement  with  great  dif 
ficulties,  and  was  not  in  so  flourishing  a  condition  as  the  one  in 
New  Lebanon.  The  produce  of  their  labours  is  scarcely  suffi 
cient  for  their  wants,  they  have  therefore  not  been  able  as  yet  to 
establish  stores,  which  are  so  productive  to  their  fellow  believers  in 
New  Lebanon.  Their  houses  are  good  and  clean,  they  are  al 
most  all  of  brick,  and  distant  from  each  other.  Each  house  has 
a  stone  staircase  leading  to  two  doors,  separated  only  by  a  win 
dow.  The  right  one  is  for  the  men,  and  the  left  for  the  females 
or  sisters,  and  so  the  right  side  of  the  house  is  destined  for  the 
brothers  and  the  left  for  the  sisters.  In  the  rear  of  the  dwelling- 
houses,  some  of  which  contain  sixty  members,  there  is  a  separate 
building  for  the  kitchen  and  dining-room,  and  for  the  workshops. 
The  houses  are  surrounded  with  sods,  over  these  boards  are  laid 
leading  to  the  pumps,  stables,  wash-houses,  &c. ;  along  the  side 
walk  and  the  road  through  the  village,  there  are  also  boards  for 
the  pedestrian.  At  six  o'clock  in  the  evening,  the  members  take 
supper  in  the  adjacent  refectories;  I  was  permitted  to  look  at 
them.  Two  long  tables  were  covered  on  each  side  of  the  room, 
behind  the  tables  were  benches,  in  the  midst  of  the  room  was  a 
cupboard.  At  a  signal  given  with  a  horn,  the  brothers  entered  the 
door  to  the  right,  and  the  sisters  the  one  to  the  left,  marching  two 
and  two  to  the  table.  The  sisters  in  waiting,  to  the  number  of  six, 
came  at  the  same  time  from  the  kitchen  and  ranged  themselves 


141 

in  one  file  opposite  the  table  of  the  sisters.  After  which  they 
all  fell  on  their  knees  making  a  silent  prayer,  then  arose,  took 
hold  of  the  benches  behind  them,  sat  down  and  took  their  meal 
in  the  greatest  silence.  I  was  told  this  manner  was  observed  at 
all  their  daily  meals.  They  eat  bread,  butter  and  cakes,  and  drank 
tea.  Each  member  found  his  cup  filled  before  him — the  serving 
sisters  filling  them  when  required.  One  of  the  sisters  was  stand 
ing  at  the  cupboard  to  pour  out  the  tea— the  meal  was  very 
short,  the  whole  society  rose  at  once,  the  benches  were  put  back, 
they  fell  again  on  their  knees,  rose  again,  and  wheeling  to  the 
right,  left  the  room  with  a  quick  step.  I  remarked  among  the 
females  some  very  pretty  faces,  but  they  were  all  without  ex 
ception  of  a  pale  and  sickly  hue.  They  were  disfigured  by  their 
ugly  costume,  which  consists  of  a  white  starched  bonnet.  The 
men  likewise  had  bad  complexions.  During  the  whole  evening 
I  was  visited  by  the  brothers,  by  whom  I  was  completely  exa 
mined;  among  them  were  two  Frenchmen  of  the  name  of  Con- 
chon,  father  and  son,  who  told  me  they  were  very  well  satisfied. 
The  son  had  perfectly  adopted  the  humble  manner  of  the  monks, 
did  not  open  his  eyes,  and  in  explaining  the  principles  of 
their  sect  according  to  the  bible,  he  maintained  that  they  were 
the  only  Christian  sect  who  followed  the  true  spirit  of  the  gos 
pel.  Respecting  their  political  regulations,  they  are  entirely 
founded  on  perfect  community  of  goods,  and  renunciation  of  all 
private  property;  they  live  in  a  perfect  equality.  It  will  be 
found  that  Mr.  Owen  has  borrowed  the  greater  part  of  the  laws 
of  his  new  social  system  from  the  Shakers,  with  this  difference, 
that  the  Shakers  are  united  by  the  tie  of  religion,  and  the  hope 
of  a  better  life,  which  is  entirely  disbelieved  by  Owen. 

It  is  known  that  a  part  of  the  worship  of  the  believers  in  mother 
Ann  Lee,  as  the  Shakers  call  themselves,  consists  in  dancing.  The 
bible  gives  us  several  examples  of  worship  by  dancing — king 
David  danced  before  the  ark.  Mother  Ann  Lee,  founder  of  this 
sect,  taught  that  God  should  not  only  be  worshipped  with  the 
tongue  but  with  the  whole  body,  and  in  consequence  she  intro 
duced  jumping  and  dancing  in  her  divine  service.  This  is  prac 
tised  publicly  in  church,  accompanied  by  the  singing  of  hymns 
composed  for  the  purpose — strangers  are  admitted  as  spectators. 
Their  church  consists  of  a  plain  and  spacious  room,  but  not 
near  so  large  as  the  church  at  New  Lebanon.  On  the  morn 
ings  and  evenings  during  the  week,  there  are  private  dancing 
prayers  in  the  dwelling  houses.  The  walls  of  the  rooms  of  the 
brothers  and  sisters  consists  of  large  folding  doors,  which,  when 
opened,  form  with  the  corridor  one  large  room,  in  which  they 
dance  and  jump.  Our  presence  putting  them  under  some  restraint, 
there  was  no  dancing  in  the  evening,  which  was  a  great  disap- 


142 

pointment  to  us.  Delicacy  prevented  my  inquiring  after  the 
dance.  At  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  every  one  retired.  I  was 
shown  to  a  very  good  and  clean  room. 

The  following  day,  5th  May,  several  brothers  called  upon  me. 
Among  them  was  a  German,  the  only  one  belonging  to  this  sect. 
His  name  was  Christian  Bockholder,  a  native  of  Neuwied  on  the 
Rhine.  He  is  a  small,  weakly  man,  who  was  converted  to  this 
sect  but  six  years  ago,  and  who  seemed  much  pleased,  particu 
larly  with  the  good  order,  tranquillity,  and  peace,  which  reigns 
among  them;  but  he  observed  that  this  life  not  suiting  every  one, 
it  was  necessary  to  try  it  carefully  before  becoming  a  member: 
he  had  lived  six  months  among  them  before  being  received.  Fi 
nally  he  remarked,  that  notwithstanding  every  one  was  free  to 
leave  the  society  when  he  thought  proper,  it  would  be  very  wrong 
to  do  so,  as  when  once  accustomed  to  it  he  would  be  utterly  unfit 
for  the  world.  At  nine  o'clock,  when  we  left  Union  Village,  they, 
to  our  surprise,  refused  to  receive  either  pay  or  presents,  and  no 
thing  now  remained  but  to  return  verbal  thanks  for  their  hospi 
tality,  after  which  we  parted.  We  rode  twenty-six  miles  to  Xenia, 
a  small  country  town,  where  we  arrived  after  five  o'clock,  P.  M. 

We  rode  through  a  very  fine  and  cultivated  country,  which 
originally  consisted  of  woods.  We  saw  at  least  every  five 
hundred  paces  with  an  habitation  or  some  fields.  Those  forests 
which  still  remain,  are  chiefly  composed  of  oak,  ash,  sugar-maple, 
plane,  shumac,  and  dogwood  trees;  the  latter  bears  handsome 
white  flowers.  I  did  not  find  the  vegetation  so  much  advanced 
as  in  the  states  of  Indiana  and  Kentucky.  We  suffered  very  much 
from  the  bad  roads,  a  greater  part  of  which  were  log  causeways.  I 
walked  a  great  part  of  the  way.  We  forded  several  little  rivulets 
and  creeks,  among  them  the  Little  Miami;  we  found  a  tree  laid 
across  without  a  rail,  intended  as  a  bridge.  At  several  of  these  we 
saw  some  flour  and  saw-mills,  and  passed  several  small  and  new 
settlements,  with  neat  brick  houses  and  large  barns.  The  hand 
somest  is  Bellbrook.  Xenia,  where  we  found  a  good  tavern,  is 
situated  very  agreeably.  The  streets  are  large,  and  cross  each 
other  at  right  angles:  most  of  the  houses  are  of  brick,  and  are 
situated  at  a  certain  distance  from  each  other.  The  number  of 
inhabitants  is  about  eight  hundred,  who  farm  and  carry  on  dif 
ferent  trades.  This  little  place  has  two  printing-offices,  a  Latin 
school,  and  several  stores.  In  the  centre  of  the  town  is  the  court 
house,  built  of  brick.  Xenia  is  the  chief  town  of  Green  county. 
Next  to  it  is  a  massive  jail.  In  an  excursion  we  made  the  fol 
lowing  day,  May  6th,  I  remarked  one  of  the  machines  for  pre 
paring  flax,  of  which  I  bought  a  copyright  at  the  patent-office  in 
Washington.  It  was  worked  by  a  single  horse,  and  did  the  work 
of  five  men,  besides  which  the  flax  does  not  require  any  rotting. 


143 

After  nine  o'clock  we  departed,  and  rode  eighteen  miles  to  Spring 
field.  We  stopped  on  our  way  at  a  small  village,  Yellow  Springs, 
to  see  the  spring  from  which  this  place  derives  its  name.  The 
village  occupies  a  woody  elevation  on  the  shore  of  the  Little 
Miami,  rushing  through  a  deep  rocky  valley.  The  place  is  small, 
and  was  bought  by  a  society  of  twelve  gentlemen,  under  the  di 
rection  of  Mr.  Lowndes,  a  friend  of  Mr.  M'Clure.  These 
gentlemen  intended  to  found  a  sect  upon  Owen's  system;  there 
had  been  one  established  here  previously,  but  dissolved  on  ac 
count  of  the  majority  of  them  being  worthless  creatures,  who  had 
brought  neither  capital,  nor  inclination  to  work.  Mr.  Lowndes, 
whose  acquaintance  I  made,  said  that  he  expected  new  and  better 
members.  The  locality  is  healthy  and  favourable  for  such  an  es 
tablishment.  The  spring  originates  in  a  limestone  rock,  the  wa 
ter  has  a  little  taste  of  iron,  and  deposits  a  great  quantity  of 
ochre,  from  which  it  takes  its  name.  The  spring  is  said  to  give 
one  hundred  and  ten  gallons  of  water  per  minute,  which  is  re 
ceived  in  a  basin,  surrounded  with  cedar  trees.  The  yellow 
stream  which  comes  from  the  basin,  runs  a  short  distance  over  a 
bed  of  limestone  and  is  afterwards  precipitated  into  the  valley. 
These  limestone  rocks  form  very  singular  figures  on  the  edge  of 
this  valley;  the  detached  pieces  resemble  the  Devil's  Wall  of  the 
Hartz. 

They  had  no  baths  fitted  up.  as  yet  there  is  only  a  shower- 
bath.  The  former  will  most  probably  be  established,  when  it 
becomes  a  place  of  public  resort.  Mr.  Lowndes  told  me  that  it 
was  their  intention  to  take  more  water  in,  and  to  have  some 
walks  established  in  the  vicinity,  to  which  the  surrounding  coun 
try  is  very  favourable.  Following  Mr.  Lowndes'  advice,  we 
took  a  roundabout  way  of  one  mile  and  rode  to  a  saw-mill  called 
Patterson's  mill,  to  see  the  lesser  falls  of  the  Little  Miami.  I  had 
no  reason  to  repent  it,  as  I  was  richly  rewarded  with  one  of  the 
finest  prospects  I  ever  beheld.  The  Little  Miami  forces  itself 
for  the  length  of  a  mile  with  most  singular  windings  through  a 
rocky  dale  at  least  fifty  feet  deep,  which  in  many  places  is  but 
eighteen  feet  wide,  it  forms  little  cataracts,  and  suddenly  disap 
pears  for  a  short  distance.  Large  cedar  trees  shade  this  pre 
cipice,  which  makes  it  very  gloomy,  and  contribute  in  a  great 
measure  to  the  peculiarity  of  this  imposing  scene  of  nature. 
The  rocks  are  very  steep,  and  are  connected  by  a  bridge,  on 
which  one  looks  from  the  dizzy  precipice  into  a  real  abyss. 
Following  a  narrow  path,  I  went  down  to  the  water  and  found 
myself  almost  in  obscurity.  I  felt  entirely  separated  from  the 
i  world,  and  was  scarcely  able  to  preserve  the  consciousness  of  my 
own  existence.  I  experienced  a  peculiar  feeling  on  again  per 
ceiving  the  day-light.  Following  the  course  of  the  rushing  wa- 


144 

ters  I  reached  Patterson's  saw-mill,  where  the  men  working  for 
their  daily  bread,  recalled  me  to  human  life.  Near  the  saw-mill 
a  dam  forms  an  artificial  waterfall,  making  a  very  handsome  effect, 
beingabout  twenty  feet  high.  The  saw-mill  has  a  horizontal  water- 
mill  of  the  same  description  as  those  which  I  had  previously  seen 
in  the  United  States.  With  a  strong  fall  of  water  these  wheels 
have  more  effect,  and  are  cheaper  than  those  used  in  other  coun 
tries.  The  road  from  the  mill  to  Springfield  was  bad,  mostly 
by  causeways,  and  I  was  again  compelled  to  walk  a  greater  part 
of  the  way.  Springfield  is  the  chief  town  of  Clark  county,  and 
lies  partly  at  the  foot  of  a  hill  and  partly  upon  it,  at  the  conflu 
ence  of  two  creeks,  the  shores  are  so  marshy  that  I  believe  it 
would  be  possible  to  cut  turf  there.  The  town  contains  fifteen  hun 
dred  inhabitants,  nearly  all  the  houses  are  built  of  brick,  the 
streets  are  wide  and  right-angled,  they  are  not  paved;  the  prin 
cipal  street  has  a  side-walk  of  brick.  In  the  centre  of  this  little 
town  is  a  court-house  built  of  brick,  and  having  the  form  of  an 
octagon;  next  to  it  stands  a  jail.  The  place  is  surrounded  with 
orchards,  meadows  and  well  cultivated  fenced  fields.  A  chain  of 
hills  end  in  a  point  behind  the  town,  not  far  from  the  confluence 
of  both  creeks.  On  this  point  are  four  insulated  hills,  which  are 
said  to  be  Indian  mounds,  three  stand  on  the  edge  of  one  of  the 
creeks,  and  at  some  distance  is  the  fourth,  which  is  quite  de 
tached  from  the  others.  The  latter  is  the  highest,  its  elevation 
is  more  than  one  hundred  feet  above  the  level  of  the  valley;  from 
this  hill  the  eye  commands  a  view  over  Springfield,  the  whole 
.surrounding  valley,  the  union  of  both  valleys  and  the  woody 
heights  encircling  the  whole,  there  are  clusters  of  blooming  and 
high  black  thorn  bushes  growing  in  the  meadows,  which  produce 
a  good  effect.  This  place  seems  to  be  opulent,  it  contains  seve 
ral  good  stores,  and  depends  chiefly  on  the  breeding  of  cattle  and 
agriculture.  We  were  very  comfortably  lodged  at  the  inn  at 
which  we  stopped. 

On  the  7th  of  May,  at  nine  o'clock,  we  left  Springfield  on  a 
beautiful  Sunday  morning,  and  curiosity  had  assembled  a  crowd 
of  people  before  our  inn,  to  gaze  at  such  wonders  as  we  were. 
We  went  twenty-three  miles  on  the  road  to  Columbus,  until  we 
arrived  at  a  single  tavern,  called  Pike's.  The  country  was  less 
cultivated  than  we  had  seen  since  leaving  Cincinnati  ;  we  saw 
however,  several  fine  orchards  and  fields  ;  all  the  settlements  are 
new,  and  the  habitations  mostly  consist  of  log-houses;  we  met 
several  carts  filled  with  well-dressed  country  people  and  several 
of  both  sexes  on  horseback,  they  were  all  going  to  church  at 
Springfield.  The  road  was  generally  very  bad,  and  over  many 
log  causeways,  kept  in  bad  order.  Beyond  the  woods,  we  saw 
vast  tracts  of  meadow  ground,  on  which  only  a  few  trees  could 


145 

he  seen,  but  there  were  very  handsome  black  thorns  in  flower. 
On  the  meadows  numerous  cattle  were  grazing,  we  passed  two 
with  a  great  number  of  sheep,  and  hogs  were  always  plenty;  the 
breeding  of  cattle  is  carried  on  to  a  great  extent;  quantities  of 
cheese  and  butter  are  made  here  for  sale;  the  cattle  are  drove 
to  the  eastern  states,  or  the  meat  is  salted  and  sent  to  New 
Orleans.  We  observed  a  great  many  partridges  of  a  large  kind, 
which  they  call  pheasants*  here;  the  forests  abound  with  wild 
pigeons.  We  reached  our  lodging  place,  Pike's  tavern,  about  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  It  is  situated  amidst  meadowst  and  con 
sists  of  two  log-houses  erected  close  behind  each  other,  they  re 
semble  those  of  the  state  of  Georgia,  differing  only  in  being  bet 
ter  suited  for  a  colder  climate,  as  the  crevices  are  filled  with  clay. 
Our  landlord  only  began  his  establishment  five  years  ago;  he 
came  from  Massachusetts.  Towards  evening  we  saw  a  fine 
drove  of  cattle  belonging  to  him,  and  in  which  his  fortune  chiefly 
consisted.  Next  morning  we  left  our  abode  where  we  had  been 
better  lodged  than  we  had  expected,  and  went  twenty  miles  far 
ther  to  Columbus.  The  road  was  worse  than  any  I  had  ever  met  ' 
with,  consisting  generally  of  log  causeways,  which  are  badly  as 
sorted  and  have  large  holes  between  them.  We  wore  barbar 
ously  jolted  about,  and  therefore  I  went  more  than  half  the  way  on 
foot;  the  soil  principally  consists  of  a  black  meadow  ground, 
marshy,  with  little  wood  and  less  cultivated.  It  is  said  to  be  un 
wholesome  during  the  summer;  the  houses  are  scattered  and  in  a 
bad  condition.  At  one  mile  from  Columbus,  is  a  small  place  called 
Franklinton,  having  several  brick  houses  and  a  court-house.  Its 
increase  was  at  one  time  promising,  but  Columbus  prevents  its 
future  advancement.  Columbus  is  situated  on  the  high  left  bank 
of  the  Sciota ;  we  forded  this  river,  which  was  perilous,  as  the 
water  ran  into  our  carriage ;  there  was  a  wooden  bridge  formerly 
between  Franklinton  and  Columbus,  but  it  was  broken  down  a  year 
ago;  trees  are  growing  very  fast  in  the  woods  in  the  vicinity,  but  the 
wood  is  without  strength  and  becomes  rotten  as  soon  as  it  attains 
its  growth,  which  makes  it  impossible  to  depend  on  the  duration 
of.  wooden  buildings.  Columbus  is  the  chief  town  of  the  state  of 
Ohio,  and  contains  about  one  thousand  eight  hundred  inhabitants, 
and  three  churches;  one  Presbyterian,  one  Lutheran,  and  one 
Methodist.  In  the  year  1812,  there  were  nothing  but  forests, 
and  in  the  same  year  the  lots  of  the  city  with  the  wood  were 

*  [Tetrao  Umbellus,  L.]— TRANS. 

t  These  meadows  are  designated  in  America,  by  the  name  of  prairies, 
and  extend  over  large  tracts  of  land  in  the  western  country;  they  are  covered 
with  high  grass;  trees  grow  very  sparingly  on  them,  while  the  surrounding 
forests  exhibit  the  most  beautiful  trees?  the  soil  of  these  prairies  generally  con 
sists  of  turf-moor. 

VOL.  II.  19 


146 

sold,  upon  which  they  immediately  commenced  building.  It 
is  astonishing  how  this  place  has  since  increased,  and  still  con 
tinues  to  improve — the  streets  are  wide,  and  cross  each  other 
at  right  angles.  The  principal  street  running  parallel  with  the 
Sciota,  is  about  one  hundred  feet  wide,  having  side-walks,  and  a 
considerable  number  of  brick  houses — the  adjoining  streets  are  not 
yet  much  occupied.  In  building  the  principal  streets,  one  of  the 
Indian  mounds  has  been  opened,  and  nearly  destroyed.  A  great 
number  of  human  bones  were  found,  remains  of  urns,  and  an 
owl  carved  in  stone,  but  very  clumsy;  with  the  clay  of  which 
the  mound  was  made,  bricks  were  burned  which  served  for  the 
construction  of  the  state-house;  this  building  contains  the  offices- 
of  the  state,  and  the  United  States  court.  These  three  build 
ings  stand  near  each  other  at  one  end  of  the  principal  street, 
each  of  them  having  two  stories — the  state-house  as  well  as  the 
court,  are  situated  at  the  sides  of  these  long  offices,  which 
gives  them  the  appearance  of  barracks;  they  have  steeples  and 
galleries,  from  which  the  course  of  the  Sciota,  receiving  a 
mile  above  the  town  the  Whetstone  river,  can  be  followed  with 
the  eye  to  a  great  distance  over  the  fertile  plain  on  the  right 
shore  of  the  Sciota,  where  Franklinton  is  situated,  and  is  a  very 
handsome  sight.  The  Sciota  originates  in  the  state  of  Ohio,  runs 
one  hundred  and  eighty-two  miles,  and  flows  in  the  Ohio  between 
Portsmouth  and  Alexandria,  its  mouth  is  one  hundred  and  fifty 
yards  wide;  it  is  navigable  one  hundred  and  thirty  miles  and  up>- 
wards.  The  Whetstone,  which  it  receives  above  Columbus,  is  at 
certain  times  navigable  for  nine  miles.  About  five  miles  above  Co 
lumbus,  on  the  left  shore  of  the  Sciota,  is  a  quarry  of  white  sand 
stone,  which  resembles  marble  until  polished,  after  which  it 
turns  grey.  Columbus  contains  three  printing-offices,  each  of 
which  issues  a  newspaper.  There  are  also  bookstores,  one  of  them 
belongs  to  Mr.  Kilbourn,  author  of  the  Ohio  Gazetteer;  this  book 
having  been  of  great  use  to  me,  during  my  journey  through  this 
state,  1  wished  to  see  the  author  of  so  useful  a  work,  an  attention 
with  which  he  appeared  much  pleased.  Respecting  the  three 
newspapers,  I  found  their  number  great  for  so  small  a  place, 
but  I  heard  that  only  one,  which  is  in  some  measure  the  official 
paper  of  the  state,  was  much  read,  and  had  many  subscribers; 
the  other  two  having  but  fifty,  and  could  only  maintain  them 
selves  by  advertisements,  &c,  I  met  in  Columbus  with  a  Mr. 
Doherty,  whose  acquaintance  I  had  made  in  Cincinnati,  and  who 
conducted  me  to  see  the  town.  There  is  nothing  remarkable  in 
the  public  buildings  above  mentioned;  the  state  penitentiary 
crested  me  much  more;  it  is  well  situated,  appears  to  be  well 
anged,  and  contains  one  hundred  and  fifty-two  convicts;  the 
building  is  on  a  rising  ground;  in  the  rear  are  several 


147 

yards  where  the  workshops  of  the  prisoners  are  situated,  they 
are  clothed  in  a  dress  part  grey  and  part  white,  and  sleep 
two  together,  in  airy  but  narrow  cells,  on  straw  mattresses;  dur 
ing  the  day  they  are  employed  in  the  workshops,  or  in  the  work 
of  the  house.  They  have  a  large  refectory,  where  their  meals, 
consisting  of  meat  and  vegetables  are  served  up  in  wooden  plates; 
each  prisoner  is  obliged  to  work  at  the  trade  which  he  under 
stands,  and  he  who  is  acquainted  with  none  is  obliged  to  learn 
one,  being  permitted  to  choose  which  he  prefers.  All  the 
clothing  used  in  the  house,  as  well  as  the  cotton  cloth,  are  made 
by  the  prisoners,  who  receive  no  payment;  there  is  also  a  wheel 
wright  shop  in  operation,  as  well  as  blacksmiths,  coopers,  cabinet 
makers,  comb-makers,  saddlers,  and  gunsmiths,  who  make  very 
good  rifles:  the  articles  manufactured  by  the  coopers  consist 
chiefly  of  buckets  and  barrels,  made  of  white  and  red  cedar  wood; 
there  is  a  store  attached  to  the  prison,  where  all  these  articles 
are  exposed  for  sale.  I  understand  that  the  prison  maintains 
itself,  and  causes  but  a  trifling  expense  to  the  state.  The  favourite 
solitary  confinement  in  dark  and  subterraneous  cells  is  used  as  a 
capital  punishment.  A  couple  of  prisoners  who  had  tried  to 
escape  and  were  retaken,  wore  an  iron  collar  with  a  horn  attached 
to  it;  the  prison  has  been  in  use  ten  years,  during  which  time,  ten 
men  only  had  escaped,  nearly  all  of  whom  had  been  retaken: 
the  prisoners  are  so  well  treated,  that  I  was  assured  that  several 
of  them  stole  again,  after  having  served  their  time  out,  in  order 
to  return  to  their  prison.  It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  during 
ten  years,  two  white  females  only,  were  committed  to  this  prison; 
the  yards  are  surrounded  by  a  large  and  high  wall,  where  sen 
tries  keep  watch  day  and  night  with  loaded  muskets.  We  left 
Columbus  on  the  9th  of  May,  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
and  rode  to  Circleville,  a  distance  of  twenty-six  miles.  The 
road  passes  along  the  left  shore  of  the  Sciota,  through  a  woody 
and  rather  uncultivated  country,  two  days  of  rain  had  softened 
the  ground  considerably;  fortunately  we  met  with  very  few  Jog 
causeways;  we  forded  two  small  rivers  which  flow  into  the 

I   Sciota,  called  Big-Belly  creek,  and  Lower  Walnut  creek.     We 

I  passed  a  small  place,  Bloomfield,  consisting  of  small  frame  houses, 
and  reached  Circleville  towards  two  o'clock,  P.  M.  Circleville 

j  is  built  in  one  of  the  old  Indian  forts,  whose  origin,  as  well  as 
that  of  the  nation  which  erected  it,  is  buried  in  utter  darkness. 
The  circular  part  immediately  joins  the  square,  and  communi 
cates  with  it  by  means  of  a  single  outlet.  The  square  fort  has 
eight  outlets,  and  in  the  rear  of  each  of  them  there  is  a  little 

;  mound,  which  appears  to  have  served  as  traverses  for  the  defence 
of  the  entries;  the  round  fort  has  two  parallel  ramparts  separated 
by  a  ditch.  The  quadrangular  fort  has  but  a  single  one,  where 


148 

there  arc  no  traces  of  a  trench;  thcdiameter  of  the  circular  fort,  taken 
between  the  exterior  ramparts,  is  one  hundred  and  ninety-six  rods; 
both  of  them  are  twenty  feet  high,  taken  from  the  base  of  the 
ditch;  the  inner  one  is  filled  up,  and  the  exterior  is  dug  from  the 
ground;  the  fortress  consists  of  clay,  the  latter  of  sand  and  flint- 
stone;  the  rampart  of  the  square  fort  is  ten  feet  higher,  and  of 
clay;  the  length  of  one  side  of  the  square  is  fifty-four  rods;  the 
town,  containing  six  hundred  inhabitants,  is  for  the  greatest  part 
built  inside  of  the  round  and  square  fort,  of  which  it  occupies  the 
fourth  part  of  the  surface.  In  its  centre  is  a  round  space,  in  the 
midst  of  which  stands  a  court-house  of  brick  in  the  shape  of  an 
octagon.  Circleville  is  the  chief  town  of  Pickaway  county.  From 
this  circular  place  four  principal  streets  run  towards  the  north, 
south,  east,  and  west;  in  order  to  open  them,  the  double  round 
wall  has  unfortunately  been  partly  demolished;  the  selfishness  of 
the  inhabitants  goes  so  far  that  they  take  the  clay  of  the  inner 
wall  and  the  square  fort  to  burn  bricks  of  it;  this  little  town 
was  founded  in  1812,  at  the  same  time  with  Columbus,  but  has 
not  increased  much  since;  the  houses  are  generally  of  wood.  The 
prison  alone  is  of  solid  construction,  built  of  free-stone. 

On  the  outside  of  the  circular  fort,  on  the  hill  opposite  the  quad 
rangular  fort,  is  another  hill  ninety  feet  high,  that  commands  all 
the  neighbouring  parts,  which  appear  to  have  been  a  burying- 
ground — a  great  number  of  human  skeletons  of  all  sizes  having 
been  found  there;  they  were  all  in  a  horizontal  position,  the  heads 
being  turned  towards  the  centre  of  the  hill.  With  the  skeletons 
were  several  stone  axes,  and  oval,  polished  black  stones,  having  a 
hole  in  their  centre,  probably  to  fix  them  on  a  string,  to  be  worn 
as  ornaments  or  talismans. 

In  the  centre  of  the  circular  fort,  where  the  court-house  now 
stands,  there  was  formerly  another  hill,  on  the  eastern  side  of 
which  are  the  remains  of  a  semicircular  pavement,  made  of  peb 
ble-stones,  the  same  which  are  found  in  the  bed  of  the  Sciota;  the 
top  of  the  hill  is  of  thirty  feet  diameter,  and  has  a  flight  of  steps 
leading  to  it;  two  human  skeletons  were  found  there.  At  the 
natural  level  of  the  ground  a  great  number  of  stone  arrow-heads, 
which  were  so  strong  that  they  must  have  belonged  to  lances.  A 
great  quantity  of  wood  ashes  and  hard  burnt  bricks  induce  the  belief 
that  the  bodies  were  burnt;  there  was  a  looking-glass  made  of  mica 
membranacea.  More  minute  details  of  these  antiquities,  as  well 
as  all  the  others  which  have  been  found  in  this  state,  are  described 
in  Mr.  Caleb  Atwater's  tfrchaelogia  Americana.  I  paid  a  visit 
to  this  gentleman,  who  resides  here;  he  is  a  great  antiquarian, 
and  exists  more  in  the  antiquities  of  Ohio,  than  in  the  present 
world.  I  spent  the  evening  with  this  interesting  man,  and  was 
very  agreeably  entertained;  he  possesses  a  collection  of  objects 


149 

which  were  found  in  different  mounds;  it  contains  fragments  of 
urns,  arrow-heads  of  a  large  size,  battle-axes  made  of  flint- 
stone,  and  several  human  bones.  Mr.  Atwater  likewise  pos 
sesses  a  very  handsome  collection  of  minerals,  among  which  I 
found  some  interesting  petrifactions  of  wood  and  plants,  in  parti 
cular,  the  whortleberry  plant.  He  offered  to  send  to  the  uni 
versity  of  Jena  a  collection  of  these  petrifactions  which  are  found 
near  Zanesville,  in  this  state,  and  for  which  he  desired  to  obtain 
some  German  minerals.  I  must  not  omit  to  mention,  that  on  the 
hill,  outside  of  the  circular  fort,  is  a  small  wooden  house  nearly 
destroyed  by  storms,  which  commands  a  view  of  all  the  surround 
ing  country.  It  had  been  a  house  of  ill  fame,  but  being  visited 
one  night  by  a  violent  storm,  it  was  abandoned  by  its  inhabitants, 
to  the  great  edification  of  the  whole  town. 

The  10th  of  May  we  rode  nineteen  miles,  from  Circleville  to 
Chillicothe,  formerly  the  capital  of  Ohio,  situated  on  the  right 
shore  of  the  Sciota.  Our  way  led  us  through  a  handsome  and 
very  well  cultivated  country;  we  saw  fine  fields,  good  dwelling- 
houses,  orchards,  and  gardens;  also  several  mills,  turned  by  the 
water  of  the  Sciota,  and  several  other  little  creeks ;  some  of  these 
mills  are  at  the  same  time  fulling,  flour,  and  saw-mills. 

The  forests  are  chiefly  of  sugar  maple,  plane,  and  different 
kinds  of  nut  trees:  the  road  was  tolerably  good,  the  weather  fine 
and  warm;  there  is  a  covered  wooden  bridge  which  crosses  the 
Sciota  not  far  from  Chillicothe;  this  bridge  runs  at  least  five  hun 
dred  paces  on  piers,  over  a  meadow  which  is  sometimes  inundated 
by  the  Sciota.  We  were  comfortably  lodged  at  Watson's  hotel, 
in  Chillicothe.  This  town,  like  Philadelphia,  lies  between  two 
rivers — the  Sciota  may  be  considered  as  the  Delaware,  and  Paint 
creek  rivulet  takes  place  of  the  Schuylkill:  the  streets  are  large, 
at  right  angles,  and  without  pavement,  but  have  side-walks:  great 
part  of  the  houses  are  built  of  brick;  there  are  several  fine  stores. 
Over  the  whole  prosperity  and  liveliness  appears  to  reign.  Chil 
licothe  is  the  chief  town  of  Ross  county;  it  contains  a  court 
house,  built  of  freestone,  which,  at  the  time  it  was  the  seat  of 
the  state  government,  was  used  for  the  senate  house;  the  repre 
sentatives  met  in  the  building  now  used  for  the  court  offices : 
there  is  also  in  this  city  a  jail,  and  a  market-house  of  brick. 
I  received  visits  from  several  of  the  most  distinguished  inha 
bitants,  among  them  was  a  lawyer,  Mr.  Leonard,  Dr.  Vethake 
and  Colonel  King,  son  of  the  celebrated  Rufus  King,  the  Ameri 
can  minister  to  London,  and  son-in-law  of  the  former  governor 
of  this  state,  Mr.  Worthington:  the  latter  lived  at  a  country-seat 
two  miles  from  Chillicothe,  where  he  enjoyed  his  rents  and  the 
revenue  of  his  considerable  property,  in  the  midst  of  an  amia 
ble  family  and  an  agreeable  old  age,  free  from  cares.  His  son- 


150 

in-la\v  invited  us  to  his  father's  house;  we  accepted  his  invitation 
and  rode  in  Messrs.  Leonard  and  Vethake's  company,  towards 
evening,  to  the  country-seat;  our  road  led  us  through  a  beautiful  and 
well  cultivated  valley,  near  a  little  Indian  mound,  and  through  a 
forest  of  beach,  maple,  chesnut  and  hickory  trees;  finally  we  rode 
through  handsome  fields,  where  here  and  there  we  saw  groups  of 
white  thorn.  The  governor's  house  is  surrounded  with  Lombardy 
(  poplars ;  it  is  constructed  in  the  style  of  an  Italian  villa,  of  free 
stone,  with  stone  steps  on  the  exterior,  is  two  stories  high,  and 
has  two  wings,  having  a  court  in  front  of  the  centre  building, 
containing  honeysuckles  and  roses:  on  one  side  of  the  house  is  a 
terrace  with  flowers  and  kitchen  vegetables;  this  garden  was  ar 
ranged  by  German  gardeners  who  keep  it  in  very  good  order:  be 
hind  the  house  are  large  clover  fields,  and  to  the  right  the  farm 
buildings.  Governor  Worthington  occupies  himself  with  the  rais 
ing  of  cattle,  particularly  sheep;  he  had  a  flock  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  merinos.     I  understood  that  they  were  numerous  in  the 
state  of  Ohio.     Colonel  King  and  his  highly  accomplished  lady, 
came  to  meet  us;  the  governor  and  his  lady  soon  appeared:  he 
has  travelled  a  great  deal,  has  been  a  long  time  in  public  offices, 
and  was  for  several  years  a  member  of  the  United  States'  senate; 
his  eldest  son  was  travelling  in  Europe,  another  son  was  in  the 
military  academy  at  West  Point.   He  has  ten  children,  on  whom 
he  expended  a  great  deal  for  their  education;  the  evening  passed 
rapidly  in  instructive  and  interesting  conversation,  the  hospitable 
governor  insisted  on  our  passing  the  night  at  his  house;  the  house 
is  very  commodious,  the  furniture  plain,  but  testifies  the  good 
taste  and  easy  circumstances  of  the  owner.     I  arose  early  next 
morning  and  took  a  walk  in  the  governor's  garden,  I  ascended 
to  a  platform  on  the  roof  to  take  a  view  of  the  surrounding  lands, 
but  there  is  as  yet  nothing  but  woods  covering  the  greater  part  of 
the  country.     Fires,  which  were  burning  in  some  places,  were 
proofs,  that  new  settlers  were  clearing  the  woods;  from  this  plat 
form  the  governor  can  overlook  the  greater  part  of  his  property, 
containing  twenty-five  thousand  acres  of  land;  by  this  means  he 
has  the  greater  part  of  his  workmen  under  his  control ;  the  ground 
consists  of  low  hills,  and  it  is  only  towards  the  east  in  the  direction 
of  Zanesville,  that  more  considerable  elevations  are  perceived. 
I  took  breakfast  with  the  worthy  governor  and  his  family,  and 
found  here,  as  at  Governor  Morrow's,  that  the  father  of  the  family, 
observed  the  laudable  custom  of  making  a  prayer  before  sitting 
down.     After  breakfast  we  took  leave  of  this  respectable  family, 
whose  acquaintance  I  consider  as  one  of  the  most  interesting  1 
made  in  the  United  States,  and  returned  to  town.   Chillicothe  con 
tains  from  two  to  three  thousand  inhabitants,  who  subsist  chiefly 
by  farming,  raising  of  cattle  and  retail  commerce;  they  had  also 


151 

commenced  establishing  woollen  factories,  and  possessed  a  bank; 
it  was  formerly  a  branch  of  the  United  States  Bank,  but  doing 
too  little  business,  was  suppressed  by  the  mother  bank  in  Phi 
ladelphia.  We  visited  two  churches,  one  Methodist  and  one 
Episcopalian,  the  former  was  rather  large,  both  of  them  were 
very  plain  and  contained  nothing  worthy  of  remark.  We  paid 
a  visit  to  Mr.  Hufnagel,  a  native  of  Wiirzburg,  an  elderly  man 
who  had  experienced  misfortune,  and  who  is  now  established  as 
a  butcher  and  trader  in  cattle,  and  finds  himself  in  easy  circum 
stances;  he  appeared  to  be  very  much  delighted  at  my  visit,  and 
received  us  very  heartily  in  his  well  arranged  house,  situated  in 
an  orchard.  Between  two  and  three  o'clock,  the  stage  took  us 
to  Colonel  King's  house,  where  we  dined,  in  order  to  drive  us 
eighteen  miles  to  Tarleton ;  we  took  leave  of  him  with  grateful 
hearts;  the  road  ran  through  a  well  cultivated  country,  which  is 
very  hilly  and  presents  several  picturesque  situations;  ten  mile* 
from  Chillicothe  on  a  hill,  is  a  small  village,  Kingston,  with  farms 
of  a  good  appearance,  and  several  mills.  Towards  sunset  we  reach 
ed  Tarleton,  a  handsome  little  spot  of  about  twenty  houses,  and 
took  our  lodgings  at  a  very  good  tavern,  kept  by  a  Pennsylva- 
nian  German.  I  had  lost  my  pocket-book,  probably  by  one  of 
the  hard  jolts  which  our  stage  had  received ;  it  contained  several 
papers  of  importance.  It  was  found  one  mile  from  Chillicothe,  and 
by  its  contents  I  was  known  to  be  the  owner;  a  man  set  out  in 
the  night  to  bring  it  to  me;  at  midnight  this  man  arrived  in- 
Tarleton,  had  me  called  up,  and  safely  returned  me  my  pocket- 
book.  I  was  so  much  delighted  to  recover  it,  that  I  expressed  my 
thankfulness  in  every  way  I  could.  On  the  12th  of  May,  we 
left  Tarleton  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  rode  to  New 
Lancaster,  which  is  sixteen  miles;  we  arrived  between  seven  and 
eight  o'clock,  and  took  our  lodgings  at  Steinman's  hotel;  the  mail 
stage  which  went  that  day  to  Zanesville,  had  only  two  horses  and 
took  no  passengers,  I  therefore  resolved  to  stay  until  the  follow 
ing  day,  as  it  was  said  there  would  be  a  stage  with  four  horses,  and 
I  found  no  cause  to  repent  it.  New  Lancaster  has  its  name  from  the 
city  of  Lancaster  in  Pennsylvania,  and  was  founded  by  Pennsylva- 
nian  Germans,  who  were  joined  by  many  German  emigrants,  par 
ticularly  Wurtembergers,  and  some  Switzers,  all  of  whom  were 
pleased  with  the  good  climate,  the  fertile  soil,  which  requires 
but  little  cultivation  and  manure,  and  above  all,  by  the  cheap 
living  and  profitable  earnings.  New  Lancaster  is  the  principal 
town  of  Fairfield  county,  and  is  handsomely  situated  on  the 
side  of  a  hill  on  the  Hockhocking  river,  not  far  distant  from  its 
source;  it  contains  nearly  two  thousand  inhabitants,  living  by 
retail  commerce,  farming,  and  cattle  raising.  Since  1822,  the 
culture  of  tobacco  has  also  been  introduced;  this  tobacco  is  called 


152 

yellow,  and  is  esteemed ;  I  understand  that  it  sells  very  well  in 
Holland.  The  streets  of  the  town  are  wide  and  rectangular; 
the  court-house  is  a  brick  building;  there  is  also  a  market-house 
of  brick,  and  above  it  a  lodge  for  freemasons.  Shortly  after  my 
arrival,  I  received  the  visits  of  several  of  the  German  and  half 
German  inhabitants,  among  the  latter  I  remarked  Judge  Dietrich, 
a  native  of  Philadelphia,  an  agreeable,  plain  and  well-informed 
man;  he  offered  to  be  my  guide  through  the  town,  which  I  thank 
fully  accepted.  He  introduced  me  to  several  of  the  merchants, 
whose  well-furnished  stores  I  visited.  Such  a  store  in  America 
contains  a  great  variety  of  articles :  all  kinds  of  dry-goods,  por 
celain,  earthenware,  glasses,  stationary,  implements  of  husbandry, 
iron  wares,  saddlery,  and  spirits ;  the  latter  are  only  by  wholesale ; 
also  school-books,  bibles,  and  psalm-books.  I  observed  in  almost 
all  the  cities  in  the  state  of  Ohio,  that  German  translations  were 
affixed  to  all  the  signs  over  the  stores,  in  large  golden  letters, 
which  is  not  only  a  proof  that  a  great  many  Germans  inhabit  the 
state,  but  also  that  they  are  good  customers.  We  saw  an  Eng 
lish  and  German  printing-office ;  the  latter  was  under  the  direc 
tion  of  a  German,  Mr.  Herrman,  who  publishes  a  German  news 
paper  under  the  title  of  Der  Ohio  teller,*  the  English  printing- 
office  likewise  publishes  a  paper  ;  the  type  for  the  German  paper 
is  from  the  foundry  in  Philadelphia,  and  cannot  be  said  to  be 
elegant;  it  is  true  there  is  generally  but  little  elegance  to  be  ob 
served  in  German  type.  I  read  in  Mr.  Herrman's  office  about 
twelve  different  German  papers,  published  in  the  United  States ; 
they  were  mostly  written  in  a  corrupted  German ;  the  only  well 
written  one,  was  edited  in  Philadelphia,  by  Mr.  Ritter. 

Judge  Dietrich  conducted  me  to  a  cloth  manufactory  belonging 
to  Mr.  Risey,  whose  machinery  is  moved  by  the  waters  of  the 
Hockhocking.  It  was  of  recent  date,  and  furnished  cloth  of 
middling  quality;  the  want  of  a  sufficient  quantity  of  water  made 
it  necessary  to  divide  the  manufactory  into  different  parts,  at  dif 
ferent  situations ;  one  was  occupied  by  the  machines  for  carding 
wool,  and  some  by  looms;  the  wool  was  spun  by  country  women. 
We  visited  the  county  jail,  a  brick  building,  the  interior  has  par 
titions  made  of  strong  beams,  separating  obscure  cells  ;  a  dark 
and  miserable  hole  called  the  dungeon,  was  destined  for  solitary 
confinement ;  there  was  but  a  single  prisoner,  and  for  debt.  Mr. 
Dietrich  introduced  me  to  a  Mr.  Sherman,  judge  of  the  supreme 
court,  who  is  one  of  the  most  respectable  inhabitants  of  the  place. 
He  invited  me  to  tea,  and  I  met  with  a  very  agreeable  society; 
we  all  took  a  walk  to  Mount  Pleasant,  two  miles  from  town, 
which  on  three  sides  presents  steep  cliffs ;  this  mountain  is  only 

*  [The  Ohio  Eagle.]— TRANS. 


153 

accessible  from  one  side,  through  a  forest  and  hollow  between 
rocks.  From  the  top  of  the  mountain  the  town  seems  to  lay 
below  your  feet,  and  is  surrounded  with  fenced  fields  ;  this  point 
being  one  of  the  highest  in  this  hilly  country,  the  prospect  would 
be  very  handsome  if  the  eye  could  perceive  any  thing  but  woods. 
Next  morning  some  Swabian  farmers  came  to  see  me  ;  I  was 
sitting  at  my  writing-table  when  they  entered;  they  sat  down 
without  taking  off  their  hats,  and  conversed  very  sensibly  ;  I  un 
derstood  from  them  that  they  were  very  much  pleased  with  the 
country,  and  that  they  felt  conscious  of  being  honest  and  useful 
men.  At  eight  o'clock  we  went  into  the  mail  stage,  an  uncom 
fortable  box,  in  which  we  rode  thirty-six  miles  to  Zanesville, 
on  a  rough  road  with  many  causeways  leading  through  a  hilly 
region,  so  that  we  had  to  stop  at  least  forty  times.  It  was  very 
warm  and  dusty  during  the  day;  the  land  was  less  fertile  than 
what  we  had  previously  seen  in  the  state  of  Ohio,  containing 
more  clay  and  sand  ;  we  arrived  in  the  district  of  the  coal  and 
salt  mines,  both  of  which  articles  are  found  in  the  vicinity  of 
Zanesville.  We  passed  between  New  Lancaster  and  Zanesville 
the  insignificant  places  of  Rush-hill,  Somerset,  Union  town,  and 
Jonathan's  creek;  Rush-hill  is  in  a  pretty  situation  on  Rush- 
creek,  a  strong  rivulet  which  works  several  mills ;  it  consists  of 
about  thirty  houses,  some  of  them  of  brick.  Somerset,  half  way 
from  New  Lancaster  to  Zanesville,  contains  four  hundred  inhabi 
tants,  it  is  on  an  elevated  situation  and  is  the  chief  town  of  Perry 
county.  Jonathan's  creek  has  given  its  name  to  the  little  village  si 
tuated  on  both  of  its  shores ;  the  true  name  of  this  creek  is  Maxahala ; 
it  is  very  convenient  for  mills.  We  met  with  two  herds  of  beautiful 
cattle,  which  had  been  brought  from  Chillicothe,  and  were  driving 
to  the  eastern  seaports  for  sale ;  towards  six  o'clock  we  arrived 
in  a  well-cultivated  district,  our  road  led  us  through  orchards  and 
neat  houses ;  finally  we  arrived  at  Putnam,  a  little  place  situ 
ated  on  the  right  shore  of  the  Muskingum,  opposite  Zanesville. 
We  crossed  the  river  by  a  covered  wooden  bridge,  resting  on  five 
stone  piers.  The  Muskingum  is  one  of  the  most  considerable 
rivers  in  the  state  of  Ohio,  it  begins  in  the  most  northern  part, 
runs  in  a  southerly  direction,  waters  several  counties,  and  empties 
by  a  mouth  twenty-five  yards  broad,  into  the  Ohio  at  Marietta ;  it 
is  navigablefrom  Zanesville  upwards;  below,  themill-damsprevent 
the  navigation.  On  account  of  the  new  canal  which  is  to  unite  ' 
the  Ohio  with  Lake  Erie,  on  which  they  were  working,  though 
slowly,  for  want  of  funds,  the  navigation  on  this  river  will  cease. 

In  Zanesville  we  took  good  lodgings  at  Hughes'  hotel;  there 
must  be  a  great  number  of  travellers,  as  in  the  principal  street 
we  could  count  seven  other  taverns.  Zanesville  contains  three 
thousand  inhabitants :  its  streets  are  large  and  straight,  a  great 

VOL.  II.  20 


154 

number  of  brick  houses,  upwards  of  twenty  stores,  two  print 
ing-offices,  and  two  glass-houses,  where  common  window-glass 
and  bottles  are  manufactured,  which  are  well  paid  for  in  the 
vicinity ;  this  town  has  been  for  some  time  the  chief  town  of 
the  state  of  Ohio,  and  is  now  the  principal  place  of  Muskingum 
county ;  the  court-house  is  a  large  brick  building,  in  front  of  it 
was  erected  a  triumphal  arch  in  honour  of  General  La  Fayette,  but 
he  did  not  pass  here.  We  returned  in  the  evening  over  the 
bridge  to 'Putnam,  to  deliver  letters  to  Mr.  Ebenezer  Bucking 
ham.  On  this  occasion  I  found  that  the  length  of  this  bridge  was 
about  two  .hundred  and  seventy-seven  ordinary  paces;  it  is  divid 
ed  in  two  parts,  the  wagons  keeping  the  right  side.  Putnam 
consists  of  a  single  street,  running  along  the  river,  behind  which 
is  a  rocky  elevation;  the  street  afterwards  forms  an  angle,  leaving 
the  river  and  looses  itself  in  a  picturesque  valley  between  fields 
and  orchards.  This  place  has  six  hundred  inhabitants,  a  great 
many  brick  houses,  and  presents  a  flourishing  appearance,  Mr. 
Buckingham  is  one  of  the  most  respectable  inhabitants,  and  has  a 
large  store  in  which  he  keeps  all  articles  that  may  be  required 
here ;  he  received  us  in  his  store,  and  gave  us  much  information 
relative  to  Zanesville,  Putnam  and  its  vicinity;  the  ground  is  not 
so  fertile  here  as  in  other  parts  of  the  state,  but  kind  Providence 
has  indemnified  them  in  some  measure  with  salt,  and  coal-mines; 
the  salt  springs  were  previously  known  to  the  Indians,  but  not 
used  by  them.  When  the  country  became  inhabited  by  a  white 
population,  they  bored  to  the  depth  of  two  hundred  feet  and  found 
abundant  salt  springs,  some  of  them  were  deeper  ;  the  openings 
being  made  larger,  walled  cisterns  were  fixed  to  collect  the  run 
ning  water.  The  salt  is  boiled  in  large  kettles,  after  which  it  is 
made  to  run  over  flat  reservoirs,  where  it  is  cooled,  and  the  salt 
separated;  this  is  the  same  method  which  is  followed  in  England, 
and  which  I  had  seen  in  the  salt  works  of  Northwich;  having  heard 
this  description,  and  the  springs  being  four  miles  distant,  I  gave  up 
the  idea  of  visiting  them.  A  great  many  petrifactions  and  im 
pressions  of  plants  are  found  here,  some  of  which  I  had  seen  at 
Mr.  Atwater's,  in  Circleville. 

On  the  next  day,  Mr.  Buckingham  came  for  me,  to  introduce 
me  to  his  family,  consisting  of  his  wife  and  three  daughters,  very 
good  children;  the  eldest  was  nine  years  old,  his  only  son  was  a 
cadet  in  the  military  school  at  West  Point.  The*  house  in  which 
he  resides  at  Putnam  is  at  some  distance  from  his  store,  is  two 
stories  high,  built  of  brick  with  a  stone  porch ;  in  front  of  the 
house  is  a  space  planted  with  trees  and  flowers  separated  from  the 
street  by  an  iron  railing  with  large  stone  posts.  In  the  rear  of  the 
house  is  a  kitchen  garden  and  orchard  ;  the  house  is  very  con 
venient  and  furnished  with  taste  and  well-directed  luxury.  All 


155 

this  was  interesting  to  me,  because  I  heard  from  Mr.  Buck 
ingham  that  twenty-nine  years  since,  he  emigrated  as  a  poor  man 
from  the  state  of  New  York  to  that  wild  country,  and  on  the 
spot  where  his  property  now  stands  he  had  himself  felled  the  trees, 
and  built  a  log-house  in  which  he  lived  several  years ;  he  owes 
his  welfare  to  his  integrity,  his  industry,  and  economy.  In  his 
business,  he  informed  me  money  was  a  rare  thing,  which  he  sel 
dom  saw  ;  the  greatest  number  of  persons  who  buy  articles  from 
his  store,  pay  for  them  in  corn,  beef,  lard,  corn  meal,  vegetables, 
fruits,  &c.  this  is,  however,  the  case  with  most  of  the  stores  in  the 
western  states,  and  give  the  merchants  considerable  trouble  to 
sell  them.  I  accompanied  Mr.  Buckingham  and  family  to  the 
Presbyterian  church  in  Zanesville,  a  large  brick  building,  which 
was  very  full  and  very  warm.  I  understood  very  little  of  the 
sermon;  the  singing  was  excellent,  without  organ  or  any  musical 
accompaniment.  In  the  centre  of  the  church  was  a  long  table,  as 
a  greater  part  of  the  congregation  were  communicants.  Mr. 
Buckingham  and  family  partook  of  this  religious  rite.  I  took  a 
walk  through  the  town,  and  visited  a  second  bridge  crossing  the 
Muskingum,  situated  above  the  first; this  bridge  is  more  ancient 
than  the  first,  and  likewise  rests  on  five  stone  piers  ;  it  is  covered 
and  made  of  wood,  but  badly  constructed  and  in  a  decayed  con 
dition.  It  does  not  run  in  a  straight  line,  but  forms  an  obtuse 
angle,  in  order  to  reach  a  point  of  land  which  is  produced  by 
the  union  of  the  Licking  with  the  Muskingum,  from  this  angle 
of  the  bridge,  another  begins,  which  goes  towards  the  point  of 
land ;  this  is  not  roofed ;  this  bridge  leads  to  the  Newark  road, 
meanwhile  the  covered  branch  is  directed  to  the  New  Lancaster 
road.  Since  the  construction  of  the  better  bridge  below,  the  older 
one  is  very  little  used.  The  prospect  from  it  over  the  Muskin 
gum  and  Licking  is  very  handsome.  Both  of  them  have,  not 
far  from  their  junction,  high  dams  forming  waterfalls,  and  on 
all  the  four  shores  mills  for  flour,  oil  and  sawing.  The  Licking 
begins  at  the  junction  of  three  little  rivers  in  Licking  county,  and 
has  some  falls  above,  where  it  unites  with  the  Muskingum,  which 
have  been  used  for  mills.  At  two  o'clock  we  returned  to  our 
mail  stage;  the  weather  being  very  hot,  we  rode  but  twelve 
miles,  to  an  insulated  house  called  Dugan's  tavern,  where  we 
arrived  between  five  and  six  o'clock,  and  met  with  tolerably  good 
quarters.  The  country  is  woody  and  very  hilly,  the  road  was  so 
bad  that  we  had  to  stop  frequently,  and  for  this  reason  I  again 
went  the  greatest  part  of  the  road  on  foot,  in  spite  of  the  heat  and 
dust ;  the  next  day  we  travelled  in  the  same  manner  to  Fairview, 
forty-eight  miles  distant,  along  a  very  hilly  country,  bad  road, 
rocks,  causeways,  and  so  many  rapid  declivities,  that  we  had  to 
stop  thirty  times.  We  passed  through  Salt  creek,  Cambridge, 


156 

Washington,  and  Frankibrt.  Salt  creek  lies  on  a  small  river  of 
the  same  name,  over  which  there  is  a  bridge.  Cambridge  is 
a  flourishing  place  of  about  seventy  houses,  on  a  height  situated 
on  Will's  creek,  which  is  crossed  by  a  plain  wooden  bridge  of 
one  hundred  and  seventy-five  yards,  which  passes  over  a  low 
meadow ;  this  town  is  the  chief  place  in  Gurnsey  county,  and 
contains  a  court-house  and  several  stores.  We  arrived  on  a  court 
day,  and  the  tavern  was  filled  with  lawyers.  Will's  creek  runs 
through  many  windings,  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  and 
flows  into  the  Muskingum;  it  is  in  some  seasons  navigable  to 
Cambridge,  in  boats  of  seventy-five  feet  length.  Washington 
and  Frankfort  are  small  places,  of  which  nothing  can  be  said. 
On  the  road,  especially  near  dwelling  houses,  were  several  large 
open  buildings  constructed  with  beams  to  dry  the  yellow  tobacco. 
The  country  is  mostly  covered  with  woods.  The  ground  con 
sists  of  yellow  and  red  clay,  &c. 

Fairview,  which  we  reached  towards  five  o'clock  in  the  even 
ing,  is  a  little  place  containing  about  twenty  houses,  most  of  them 
frame;  it  is  situated  on  an  elevation  commanding  an  extensive 
prospect,  whence  it  derives  its  name.  We  met  here  with  part  of 
the  great  national  road  which  leads  from  Washington  city  to 
Wheeling,  and  is  to  be  continued  as  far  as  St.  Louis.  It  is  a  turn 
pike  road,  dug  out  six  inches  deep,  and  is  covered  six  inches 
thick  with  small  stones,  having  a  ditch  on  each  side;  they  were 
working  slowly  at  it:  Fairview  is  now  at  the  end  of  the  road. 

On  the  16th  of  May  we  left  Fairview,  in  a  beautiful  starlight 
and  warm  night,  and  continued  our  journey  sixty  miles  to  Wash 
ington  in  Pennsylvania.  The  country  was  hilly.  The  two  last 
villages  we  passed  in  the  state  of  Ohio,  were  Morristown  and  St. 
Clairsville.  Both  places  are  small,  but  well  situated  on  eleva 
tions,  and  surrounded  with  fields  and  orchards.  St.  Clairsville 
is  the  chief  town  of  Bellmont  county;  it  contains  a  court-house, 
jail,  market-house,  and  printing-office,  wrhich' issues  a  newspaper; 
also  several  stores.  The  houses  are  merely  of  wood.  The  nearer 
we  approached  to  the  Ohio,  the  handsomer  was  the  country.  Fi 
nally,  we  came  to  a  romantic  dale,  through  which  flows  in  a  ser 
pentine  direction  a  rivulet  called  Indian  Wheeling,  which  joins 
the  Ohio  opposite  Wheeling.  We  frequently  road  along  the  new 
national  turnpike  road,  on  which  they  were  working  rapidly. 
This  road  carefully  avoids  the  numerous  hills,  cuts  through  seve 
ral  of  them,  and  has,  where  it  is  requisite,  solid  stone  bridges.  It 
was  said  that  it  would  be  finished  in  the  autumn.  When  arrived 
at  the  Ohio,  which  runs  between  hilly  shores,  partly  covered 
with  woods,  partly  cultivated,  twenty-nine  miles  from  Fairview, 
we  crossed  over  the  river  and  arrived  at  a  considerable  woody 
island,  and  crossed  the  left  arm  in  a  horse-boat,  which  took  us  to 


157 

Wheeling,  a  town  containing  two  thousand  inhabitants,  built  on 
a  terrace  along  a  steep  and  high  hill.  Thus  we  left  the  state  of 
Ohio,  an  important  and  daily  increasing  state,  which,  with  the  ex 
ception  of  the  bad  roads,  had  pleased  me  very  much.  We  enter 
ed  the  state  of  Virginia,  of  which  a  part  runs  like  a  wedge  be 
tween  the  states  of  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio.  In  Wheeling  we 
took  the  stage  on  the  great  national  road  to  Washington  in  Penn 
sylvania,  which  is  twenty-nine  miles  distant.  We  soon  ascended 
a  high  mountain,  from  the  top  of  which  we  could  discover  on  one 
side  the  beautiful  valley  of  the  Ohio,  the  woody  mountains  bor 
dering  the  valley,  and  the  town  of  Wheeling  with  its  orchards 
and  gardens  on  the  other;  a  deep  valley  along  which  the  Wheel 
ing  creek  runs  in  a  picturesque  manner.  The  national  road  gra 
dually  descends  this  steep  hill,  forming  the  western  border  of  the 
valley,  continues  in  it  and  goes  over  a  handsome  stone  bridge 
across  Wheeling  creek.  A  neighbouring  family  who  profited 
considerably  by  the  construction  of  the  national  road,  have  erect 
ed  at  the  bridge  a  monument  in  honour  of  the  secretary  of  state, 
(H.  Clay,)  who  was  the  chief  promoter  of  it  in  congress.  This 
monument  consistsj  as  far  as  I  could  perceive  in  my  hurry,  of  a 
statue  of  liberty,  coarsely  sculptured  in  sandstone,  placed  on  a 
clumsy  pedestal  ornamented  with  inscriptions  and  has  relief. 
Monuments  erected  to  living  persons  have  always  something  sus 
picious  ;  they  generally  exhibit  that  vile  adulation  to  which  the 
Dutch  give  a  characteristic  name.  *  I  was  greatly  surprised  to  find 
such  sentiments  in  this  country,  and  to  see  them  tolerated.  The 
national  road,  which  is  finished  seven  years  ago,  requires  consi 
derable  repairs,  or  at  least  to  be  kept  in  better  order.  Since  it 
has  been  finished  nothing  has  been  done  to  it.  The  tracks  are 
deep,  and  the  road  is  very  rough.  The  stage  we  rode  in  was  of 
the  description  made  in  the  north-eastern  states,  which  are  the 
best  and  most  convenient  I  had  met  with  since  October  last  year. 
We  changed  horses  twice  in  West  Alexandria  and  Claysville. 
We  passed  several  little  places  through  a  well  cultivated  country, 
over  some  stone  bridges  of  sumptuous  contruction.  Fifteen 
miles  from  Wheeling  we  left  the  state  of  Virginia,  and  entered 
the  state  of  Pennsylvania  partly  known  to  me,  and  which  I  now 
intended  to  cross  from  its  western  to  its  eastern  extremity.  We 
arrived  at  Washington  at  ten  o'clock  at  night,  and  left  there  at 
one  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the.  17th  of  May,  the  weather  be 
ing  cloudy.  Abandoning  the  national  road,  we  turned  to  the  left 
towards  Pittsburgh,  twenty-five  miles  from  Washington.  To  Can- 
nonsburg,  a  distance  of  seven  miles,  the  road  was  tolerably  good, 

*  Kaopendraayerye. 


158 

*  but  after  this  it  became  bad,  and  I  was  compelled,  in  conformity 
to  my  old  custom,  to  walk  a  great  part  of  the  way. 

To  the  cloudy  night  succeeded  a  fine  warm  morning,  and  a 
picturesque  valley  where  handsome  houses  and  mills  cheered  the 
spirits.  The  mountains  are  filled  with  coal  and  several  openings 
penetrating  into  them,  prove  that  this  important  fuel  is  not  ne 
glected.  We  finally  came  to  the  left  shore  of  the  Ohio,  and  be 
fore  us  was  Pittsburgh  covered  by  a  black  cloud  of  smoke.  This 
city  is  situated  at  the  confluence  of  the  Alleghany  and  Monon 
gahela;  both  these  rivers  after  their  union  form  the  majestic  Ohio. 
The  water  of  the  Monongahela  is  much  more  muddy  than  that  of 
the  Alleghany,  and  both  rivers  are  distinguished  separately  at  a 
great  distance.  The  situation  of  Pittsburgh,  as  well  as  the  Ohio 
valley,  resemble  in  some  measure  the  environs  of  Liege,  on  the 
Meuse,  with  the  exception  that  the  mountains  of  the  Meuse  are 
higher  than  these.  We  passed  through  a  little  village  called  Bir 
mingham,  where  are  salt-works,  a  glass-house,  and  iron-works, 
and  arrived  at  the  bridge  which  crosses  the  Monongahela.  This 
bridge  is  marked  on  the  map  as  projected,  but  has  been  finished  for 
six  or  seven  years.  It  is  of  wood  resting  on  five  stone  piers,  and 
consists  of  six  arches  of  very  solid  construction,  being  covered 
and  divided  in  two  parts.  A  fine  of  fifteen  dollars  is  exacted  of 
those  who  ride  on  horseback  or  carriage  faster  than  a  walk ;  there 
are  also  foot-walks.  Pittsburgh  contains  fifteen  thousand  inha 
bitants — it  has  not  a  pleasing  appearance,  containing  a  great  num- 
her  of  wooden  buildings,  all  of  a  smoky  colour  from  the  smoke 
continually  ascending  from  the  numerous  manufactories.  Pitts 
burgh  reminds  you  of  an  English  city,  and  therefore  is  called  the 
American  Birmingham.  It  was  nine  o'clock,  A.  M.  when  we 
arrived,  and  took  lodgings  at  the  Mansion-house,  kept  by  Colonel 
Ramsay,  a  good  hotel,  and  a  very  polite  landlord. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

Pittsburgh. — Economy. — Mr.  Rapp  and  his  Society. 

I  WAS  scarcely  settled  here  before  I  received  a  visit  from 
two  German  residents,  Mr.  Bonnhorst,  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and 
Mr.  Volz,  a  merchant.  These  gentlemen  accompanied  me  to  in 
dicate  the  most  remarkable  places  and  manufactures  of  the  city. 

We  visited  a  French  glass-cutter/a  very  skilful  man,   who 


159 

does  a  good  business;  passed  by  the  court-house,  which  is  built 
opposite  the  market-house  in  a  half  circle,  and  stopped  at  the 
glass  factory  of  Mr.  Bakewell,  in  which  fine  flint  glass  is  blown 
and  ground.  This  crystal  is  as  clear,  and  nearly  as  good  as  the 
English.  The  processes  used  in  such  a  manufactory  are  known; 
but  I  wondered  at  the  celerity  with  which  the  different  articles 
are  made.  Glass-cutting,  as  is  well  known,  is  a  difficult  work, 
and  requires  skilful  artists,  which  are  still  rare  in  tip*  country, 
and  very  dear.  We  visited  a  paper  manufactory^elonging  to 
Mr.  Baldwin,  which  is  arranged  in  the  usual  manner:  thence  we 
went  to  an  eminence  which  overlooks  the  city,  called  Grant's 
Hill,  after  an  English  General  Grant,  who,  during  the  seven 
years'  war,  was  slaughtered  here  along  with  his  troops,  by  the 
Indians. 

The  French,  about  the  middle  of  the  preceding  century,  had 
built  a  fort  on  the  point  of  land,  immediately  at  the  confluence  of 
the  two  rivers,  called  Duquesne.  The  English  found  this  forti 
fication  annoying,  and  hence  arose  the  occurrences  which  sub 
sequently  produced  the  seven  years'  war.  This  place  has  the 
highest  interest  to  every  European  soldier.  General  Grant 
wished  to  obtain  possession  of  Fort  Duquesne,  and  besieged  it 
from  the  height  which  still  bears  his  name.  He  however  kept  a 
miserable  guard,  was  surprised,  and  paid  with  his  own  life,  and 
that  of  his  men,  for  his  negligence.  From  this  hill,  one  may 
behold,  at  a  view,  the  three  vallies  of  the  Alleghany,  Mononga- 
hela  and  Ohio. 

Rapp's  society,  after  leaving  New  Harmony,  chose  a  new  situa 
tion  which  they  named  Economy.  This  is  eighteen  miles  from 
Pittsburgh.  I  intended  to  visit  it  on  the  following  day,  but  on 
this  evening,  (May  17,)  I  was  surprised  by  a  visit  from  Mr.  Fre- 
il  derick  Rapp,  adopted  son  of  the  founder  of  the  Society,  who 
gave  me  an  invitation  to  pay  their  establishment  a  visit.  We 
therefore  went  willingly  at  ten  o'clock,  next  morning,  accompa 
nied  by  Messrs.  Bonnhorst  and  Volz,  to  Economy,,  whither  Mr. 
F.  Rapp  preceded  us. 

We  reached  the  Alleghany  bridge,  which  is  built  of  wood, 
roofed,  and  supported  upon  five  stone  piers.  The  foot-walks  are 
separated  from  the  wagon-road,  and  are  open  on  one  side,  so  that 
foot  passengers  are  not  incommoded  by  the  dust  from  the  inside 
of  the  bridge.  On  the  opposite  side  is  a  little  village  called  Alle 
ghany  town,  laid  out  upon  a  great  scale,  but  on  account  of  the  prox 
imity  of  Pittsburgh,  it  will  with  difficulty  attain  any  importance: 
in  former  years,  the  Indians,  which  then  thickly  hovered  about 
the  righ  bank  of  the  Alleghany  and  Ohio,  were  a  powerful  ob 
stacle  to  the  increase  of  this  place.  On  the  heights  stand  elegant 
country  houses.  Farther  off  ran  the  road,  which  was  bad  enough, 


160 

to  the  right  bank  of  the  Ohio,  through  a  wonderfully  lovely 
landscape.  The  valley  strongly  reminds  one  of  the  Maas  Valley 
between  Namur  and  Liittich;  it  is  beautifully  cultivated;  the 
farms  lie  close  together;  the  green  hills,  and  groups  of  sugar 
maples  and  acacias  have  a  most  beautiful  appearance.  The  latter 
were  beginning  to  blossom,  and  filled  the  air  with  perfume.* 
In  the  Ohio  we  saw  Neville's  island,  which  is  about  seven  miles 
long  and  one  broad,  and  is  well  cultivated.  Over  two  little  creeks 
we  passed  upon  well  kept,  roofed  bridges,  and  reached  Economy 
at  two,  P.  M.  This  place  lies  on  a  bluff  fifty  feet  above  the 
low  water  mark  of  the  Ohio.  Behind  the  village  are  some  hills 
containing  springs,  whence  the  water  is  conveyed  in  pipes  to 
Economy. 

In  approaching  Economy  we  passed  two  burning  brick-kilns; 
then  we  came  to  a  newly-built  house,  at  which  stood  three  men 
with  horns,  who  began  to  blow  on  our  arrival.  At  the  inn,  a 
fine  large  frame  house,  we  were  received  by  Mr.  Rapp,  the 
principal,  at  the  head  of  the  community.  He  is  a  gray-headed, 
and  venerable  old  man  ;  most  of  the  members  emigrated  twenty- 
one  years  ago  from  Wurtemberg,  along  with  him.  After  our  first 
greeting,  we  were  conducted  into  a  simple  but  taste  fully  arranged 
apartment.  We  conversed  together  for  a  time,  and  then  all  set 
-down  to  dinner.  The  table  was  furnished  with  German  dishes, 
over  which  reigned  a  jocund  heartiness. 

Having  been  prejudiced  against  Mr.  Rapp  and  his  society,  by 
what  I  had  read,  and  more  recently  heard  at  New  Harmony,  I 
was  much  rejoiced  at  having  visited  this  place,  to  be  better  in 
formed  by  personal  observation.  Never  have  I  witnessed  a  more 
truly  patriarchal  constitution  than  here,  and  men's  actions  speak 
best  for  their  regulations,  and  for  the  concord  prevailing  among 
them. 

The  elder  Rapp  is  a  large  man  of  seventy  years  old,  whose 
powers  age  seems  not  to  have  diminished  ;  his  hair  is  gray,  but 
his  blue  eyes  overshadowed  by  strong  brows,  are  full  of  life  and 
fire ;  his  voice  is  strong,  and  his  enunciation  full,  and  he  knows 
how  to  give  a  peculiar  effect  to  his  words  by  appropriate  gesticu 
lation.  He  speaks  a  Swabian  dialect,  intermixed  with  a  little 
English,  to  which  the  ear  of  a  German  in  the  United  States  must 
become  accustomed ;  generally,  what  he  says  is  clearly  and 
plainly  delivered. 

Rapp's  system  is  nearly  the  same  as  Owen's.  Community  of 
goods,  and  all  members  of  the  society  to  work  together  for  the 

•In  the  year  1826,  I  enjoyed  three  springs;  the  first  about  the  end  of  February 
at  New  Orleans,  the  second  at  New  Harmony  and  Louisville,  and  the  third  in 
the  state  of  Ohio,  and  west  Pennsylvania. 


161 

common  interest,  by  which  the  welfare  of  each  individual  is 
secured.  Rapp  does  not  hold  his  society  together  by  these  hopes 
alone,  but  also  by  the  tie  of  religion,  which  is  entirely  wanting 
in  Owen's  community;  and  results  declare  that  Rapp's  system  is 
the  better.  No  great  results  can  be  expected  from  Owen's  plan, 
and  a  sight  of  it  is  very  little  in  its  favour.  What  is  most  strik 
ing  and  wronderful  of  all,  is  that  so  plain  a  man  as  Rapp  can  so 
successfully  bring  and  keep  together  a  society  of  nearly  seven 
hundred  persons,  who  in  a  manner  honour  him  as  a  prophet. 
Equally  so  for  example  in  his  power  of  government,  which  can 
suspend  the  intercourse  of  the  sexes.  He  found  that  the  society 
was  becoming  too  numerous,  wherefore  the  members  agreed  to 
live  with  their  wives  as  sisters.  All  nearer  intercourse  is  for 
bidden,  as  well  as  marriage;  both  are  discouraged.  However, 
some  marriages  constantly  occur,  and  children  are  born  every 
year,  for  whom  there  is  provided  a  school  and  teacher.  The 
members  of  the  community  manifest  the  very  highest  degree  of 
veneration  for  the  elder  Rapp,  whom  they  address  and  treat  as  a 
father. 

Mr.  Frederick  Rapp  is  a  large  good-looking  personage,  of  forty 
years  of  age.  Pie  possesses  profound  mercantile  knowledge,  and 
is  the  temporal,  as  his  father  is  the  spiritual  chief  of  the  commu 
nity.  All  business  passes  through  his  hands;  he  represents  the 
society,  which,  notwithstanding  the  change  in  the  name  of  their 
residence,  is  called  the  Harmony  Society,  in  all  their  dealings 
with  the  world.  They  found  that  the  farming  and  cattle-raising, 
to  which  the  society  exclusively  attended  in  both  their  former  places 
of  residence,  were  not  sufficiently  productive  for  their  industry, 
they  therefore  have  established  factories,  which  in  this  country 
are  very  profitable,  and  have  at  present  cotton  and  woollen  manu 
factories,  a  brewery,  distillery,  and  flour-mill.  They  generally 
drink,  during  their  good  German  dinners,  uncommonly  good  wine, 
which  was  made  on  the  Wabash,  and  brought  thence  by  them: 
they  left  the  worst,  as  I  have  remarked,  at  New  Harmony. 

After  dinner  we  visited  the  village,  which  is  very  regularly  ar 
ranged,  with  broad  rectangular  streets,  two  parallel  to  the  Ohio, 
and  four  crossing  them.  On  the  22d  of  May  it  will  be  but  two 
years  since  the  forest  was  first  felled  upon  which  Economy  is 
built;  the  roots  still  remaining  in  the  streets  are  evidences  of  the 
short  time  that  has  elapsed.  It  is  astonishing  what  united  and 
regulated  human  efforts  has  accomplished  in  so  short  a  time ! 

Many  families  still  live  in  log-houses,  but  some  streets  consist 
almost  entirely  of  neat,  well-built  frame  houses  at  proper  distances 
from  each  other,  each  house  has  a  garden  attached  to  it.  The 
four-story  cotton  and  woollen  factories  are  of  brick;  Mr.  Rapp's 
dwelling-house,  not  yet  completed,  and  a  newly-begun  warehouse, 

VOL.  II.  21 


162 

arc  also  to  be  of  brick.  The  log-houses  stand  in  the  rear  of  the 
line  which  the  new  houses  are  to  occupy  in  the  street,  so  that 
when  in  time  they  wish  to  erect  brick  buildings,  it  may  be  done 
without  incommoding  the  tenants  of  the  log  dwellings.  Mr. 
Rapp's  residence  speaks  rather  freely  against  the  equality  he 
preaches  to  his  people,  yet  without  exciting  jealousy  or  becoming 
a  stumbling  block.  It  consists  of  a  principal  building  two  stories 
high,  with  two  lower  wings  standing  in  the  same  line,  and  is 
adorned  with  beautiful  Philadelphia  paper.  At  the  back  of  the 
house  is  a  piazza  and  balcony.  There  is  also  a  garden  containing 
several  acres  with  flowers  and  vegetables,  as  well  as  a  vineyard, 
situated  on  a  terrace-shaped  half  circle  on  the  hill,  ending  in  a 
bower.  I  especially  admired  the  beautiful  tulips  of  this  garden, 
in  the  midst  of  which  is  a  round  basin  with  a  noble  spring.  Mr. 
Rapp  intends  to  build  a  temple  here,  in  which  he  will  place  a 
statue  of  Harmony:  the  statue  is  now  ready.  It  is  the  work 
of  a  carver  in  Philadelphia,  and  is  a  colossal  wooden  figure,  like 
the  figure-head  of  a  ship.  In  the  garden  are  several  cottages, 
one  of  them  is  roofed  with  sods,  and  is  used  for  a  pastry  house. 
On  the  top  is  a  sort  of  seat,  where  hereafter  musicians  are  to 
sit;  within  there  is  a  temporary  frame  hall.  Near  the  garden 
is  the  green-house;  this  house,  as  well  as  the  garden,  is  under  the 
inspection  of  a  very  pretty  girl,  Miss  Hildegard,  a  relative  of 
Mr.  Rapp,  and  possessed  of  much  botanical  knowledge.  The 
women  of  this  community  have  all  preserved  their  Swabian 
costume,  even  to  their  straw  hats,  and  they  look  very  becom- 


[n  the  cotton  and  woollen  factories,  all  the  machinery  is  set  in 
motion  by  a  high-pressure  engine  of  seventy  horse-power,  made 
in  Pittsburgh.  The  machine  pumps  the  water  from  a  well  fifty 
feet  deep,  sunk  for  the  purpose.  The  community  possesses  some 
fine  sheep,  among  which  are  many  Merino  and  Saxon:  they  pur 
chase  wool,  however,  from  the  surrounding  farmers,  who  have 
already  begun  to  raise  it  to  bring  to  Economy.  As  soon  as  the 
wool  is  washed,  it  is  picked  by  the  old  women  of  the  community, 
who  work  in  the  fourth  story,  whence  it  is  reconveyed  by  a  sort  of 
tunnel  into  the  lower  story.  The  wool  is  then  separated  accord 
ing  to  its  quality  into  four  classes,  dyed  together  in  the  dye-house 
near  the  manufactory,  returned  to  the  mill,  where  it  is  combed, 
coarsely  spun,  and  finally  wrought  into  fine  yarn  by  a  machine 
similar  to  the  spinning  jenny.  As  soon  as  spun,  it  is  placed  in 

3  loom  and  wrought  into  cloth,  this  is  placed  in  a  steam  ful- 

Img-mill,  so  arranged  that  the  steam  from  the  engine  is  made  to 

answer  the  purpose  of  soap  and  fuller's  earth,  which  is  a  great 

The  cloth  is  shorn  by  means  of  a  cylinder,  upon  which 

strong  piece  of  steel  turns.     There  is  a  model  of  this  shearing- 


163 

machine  in  the  patent-office  at  Washington.  The  woollen  goods 
most  in  demand  in  this  country,  are  hlue  middling,  grey  mixed, 
(principally  used  for  pantaloons,)  and  red  and  white  flannel  cloths. 
The  red  flannels  are  in  great  demand. 

The  cotton  factory  is  employed  in  spinning  and  weaving.  The 
printing  of  cottons  has  not  yet  been  attempted,  as  the  stamps  can 
not  be  procured  without  great  expense  and  difficulty,  and  the 
fashions  of  printed  calico  are  very  changeable.  The  coloured 
cottons  wove  here  are  blue  and  white,  mixed;  a  stuff  of  this  co 
lour  much  in  demand  in  Tennessee,  is  called  cassinet,  the  chain 
of  which  is  of  cotton,  and  the  filling  of  wool.  The  spinning  ma 
chines  are  of  the  common  kind,  each  of  which  have  one  hundred 
and  fifty  spools  at  work.  The  first  machine,  which  does  the  coarse 
spinning,  has  been  much  improved,  so  as  to  save  a  great  deal  of 
manual  labour.  There  are  also  some  power-looms  here,  though 
not  many,  neither  have  they  at  present  but  one  dressing  machine. 
Many  of  the  machines  are  made  in  Pittsburgh;  most  of  them, 
however,  at  Economy.  As  this  establishment  has  been  so  re 
cently  founded,  it  is  natural  enough  that  but  few  machines  should 
be  prepared  or  in  operation.  The  factories  and  workshops  are 
warmed  during  winter  by  means  of  pipes  connected  with  the 
steam-engine.  All  the  workmen,  and  especially  the  females,  have 
very  healthy  complexions,  and  moved  me  deeply  by  the  warm 
hearted  friendliness  with  which  they  saluted  the  elder  Rapp.  I 
was  also  much  gratified  to  see  vessels  containing  fresh,  sweet- 
smelling  flowers  standing  on  all  the  machines.  The  neatness 
which  universally  reigns  here,  is  in  every  respect  worthy  of 
praise.  - -, 

After  visiting  these  interesting  factories,  we  went  to  Mr. 
Rapp's  temporary  dwelling,  a  good  frame  house,  in  order  to  take 
tea.  I  saw  here  his  unmarried,  rather  faded  daughter,  and  his 
blooming  grandchild,  Gertrude,  the  daughter  of  his  only  son,  con 
cerning  whose  death  such  strange  reports  are  circulated.  The 
table  was  decorated  with  beautiful  silver  plate,  and  Rapp  appeared 
to  be  rejoiced,  to  indicate  by  its  possession,  his  well-merited  pros 
perity.  He  commenced  his  business,  as  he  informed  me,  with 
very  slender  means;  when  he  began  at  New  Harmony,  he  had  to 
contend  with  the  bitterest  want,  and  more  than  once,  had  net 
bread  for  his  community.  He  sent  Frederick  Rapp  to  Pittsburgh, 
to  procure  store  goods,  and  absolutely  necessary  provisions,  upon 
credit.  The  latter  found  himself  generally  repulsed,  and  remained 
the  whole  night  awake  in  Pittsburgh,  lamenting  the  cruelty  of  man 
kind.  The  elder  Rapp,  who  waited  in  vain  for  his  return,  went 
to  his  house,  also  lamenting  his  situation,  but  not  in  the  least 
doubtful  of  Providence,  who  watched  over  him  and  his;  nor  was 
his  confidence  misplaced.  The  heart  of  one  Pittsburgh  merchant 


164 

was  moved ;  he  could  not  rest  during  the  night  for  having  so 
scornfully  dismissed  Mr.  Rapp.  He  sought  him  early  in  the 
morning,  took  him  to  his  store,  and  offered  him  whatever  was 
necessary  upon  credit.  In  this  manner  was  the  society  rescued. 
This  worthy  merchant  some  time  after  suffered  in  his  business, 
and  on  this  unfortunate  occasion,  the  grateful  Harmony  society 
assisted  him  in  a  very  generous  manner. 

We  spent  the  evening  likewise  with  Mr.  Rapp.  He  collected 
the  musical  members  of  the  society,  and  entertained  us  with  mu 
sic.  Miss  Gertrude  played  upon  the  piano,  and  three  of  the  girls 
sang;  the  other  instruments  were  violins,  a  violoncello  and  two 
flutes.  The  music  was  really  not  so  good  as  we  had  heard  in 
the  preceding  autumn  at  Bethlehem;  but  gave  us  much  enter 
tainment.  Mr.  Bonnhorst  also  delighted  us  with  his  fine  per 
formance  on  the  violin.  The  music  was  principally  directed  by 
a  German  physician,  named  Miiller,  who  belongs  to  the  commu 
nity,  and  also  has  charge  of  the  school. 

The  next  morning  we  went  with  both  the  Messrs.  Rapp 
through  the  village.  We  visited  the  distillery,  in  which  good 
whiskey  is  made,  which  is  in  much  demand  in  the  neighbouring 
places.  None  is  made  use  of  in  the  village  itself,  as  the  members 
of  the  society  have  mutually  agreed  to  abstain  from  the  use  of 
distilled  liquors.  This  distillery  feeds  many  swine  and  horned 
cattle,  which  produce  the  society  a  handsome  profit.  The  beer 
brewery  from  lack  of  barley,  made  beer  of  wheat ;  this  brewery 
was  not  in  operation.  The  flour-mill,  not  yet  completed,  is  to 
be  worked  by  a  steam-engine,  and  is  to  be  arranged  like  the  Bal 
timore  steam-mill.  In  a  short  time  four  sets  of  stones  will  be  in 
operation,  and  an  oil  mill  is  also  to  be  connected  therewith.  As 
careful  managers,  the  directors  of  the  society,  in  the  upper  part 
of  the  mill,  which  is  five  stories  high,  put  away  grain  enough  for 
a  year,  in  order  to  be  secured  against  scarcity,  which  is  even  in 
this  happy  country  much  to  be  dreaded.  In  the  mill  as  well 
as  in  the  factories,  in  each  story  there  is  a  great  iron  cylinder, 
filled  with  water,  which  is  thus  at  hand  in  case  of  fire.  The  so 
ciety  possesses  a  fire-engine  of  their  own  making,  and  have  or 
ganized  a  fire  company  to  work  it. 

We  examined  the  workshops  of  the  black  and  locksmiths,  which 
are  under  the  same  shed,  and  then  the  joiner's  and  cooper's;  we 
especially  observed  the  marks  of  actual  and  filial  respect  which 
is  borne  towards  the  elder  Rapp  by  his  young  people.  The 
warehouse  was  also  shown  to  us,  where  the  articles  made  here 
for  sale  or  use  are  preserved ;  and  I  admired  the  excellence  of 
all.  The  articles  for  the  use  of  the  society  are  kept  by  them 
selves,  as  the  members  have  no  private  possessions,  and  every 
thing  is  in  common,  so  must  they  in  relation  to  all  their  personal 


165 

wants  be  supplied  from  the  common  stock.  The  clothing  and 
food  they  make  use  of,  is  of  the  best  quality.  Of  the  latter,  flour, 
salt  meat,  and  all  long  keeping  articles  are  served  out  monthly ; 
fresh  meat  on  the  contrary,  and  whatever  spoils  readily,  is  dis 
tributed  whenever  it  is  killed,  according  to  the  size  of  the  fami 
ly,  &c.  As  every  house  has  a  garden,  each  family  raises  its  own 
vegetables,  and  some  poultry,  and  each  family  has  also  its  own 
bakeoven.  For  such  things  as  are  not  raised  in  Economy,  there 
is  a  store  provided,  from  which  members  with  the  knowledge  of 
the  directors,  may  purchase  what  is  necessary,  and  the  people  of 
the  vicinity  may  also  do  the  same.  The  warehouse  and  store 
are  for  the  present  in  wooden  buildings,  but  in  a  short  time  the 
requisite  brick  buildings  will  be  erected. 

Under  Mr.  Rapp's  new  house  we  found  a  fine  roomy  cellar, 
in  which  he  gave  us  a  very  good  glass  of  old  Rhenish  wine,  and 
also  some  good  wine  made  on  the  Wabash,  of  which  he  had 
twenty-one  casks.  I  tasted  a  very  dark  and  powerful  wine,  made 
from  wild  grapes,  which  grew  on  an  island  in  the  Wabash.  For 
the  first  three  years  it  is  said  that  this  wine  cannot  be  drank  on  ac 
count  of  its  sourness ;  this  has  been  in  casks  for  eight  years  and 
is  so  much  improved,  that  it  now  is  similar  to  old  Hungarian 
wine. 

As  we  passed  along  we  saw  a  small  deer  park,  in  which  the 
elder  Rapp  had  amused  himself  in  taming  some  bucks  and  does, 
which  would  eat  out  of  his  hand.  We  saw  also  here  a  noble  young 
moose  deer,  which  was  as  large  as  a  stout  ox.  He  is  also  very 
tame,  but  during  the  season  is  dangerous. 

Mr.  Rapp  finally  conducted  us  into  the  factory  again,  and  said 
that  the  girls  had  especially  requested  this  visit,  that  I  might  hear 
them  sing.  When  their  work  is  done  they  collect  in  one  of  the 
factory  rooms,  to  the  number  of  sixty  or  seventy,  to  sing  spiri 
tual  and  other  songs.  They  have  a  peculiar  hymn-book,  containing 
many  hymns  from  the  Wurtemberg  psalm-book,  and  others 
written  by  the  elder  Rapp.  The  latter  are  truly  in  prose,  but 
have  been  arranged  to  old  tunes  by  the  girls.*  The  elder 
Rapp  is  very  fond  of  psalmody,  and  the  girls  must  devote  them 
selves  considerably  thereto,  since  Gertrude  is  a  proficient  and 
receives  musical  instruction.  A  chair  was  placed  for  the  old 
patriarch,  who  sat  amidst  the  girls  and  they  commenced  a  hymn 
in  a  very  delightful  manner.  It  was  naturally  symphonious  and 
exceedingly  well  arranged.  The  girls  sang  four  pieces,  at  first 

*  In  this  hymn-book  are  some  pieces,  which,  if  the  perfect  child-like  inno 
cence  of  these  maidens  be  not  recollected,  might  appear  rather  scandalous. 
For  instance,  there  is  a  literal  translation  of  the  song  of  Solomon,  among 
others. 


166 

sacred,  but  afterwards  by  Mr.  Rapp's  desire,  of  gay  character. 
With  real  emotion  did  I  witness  this  interesting  scene. 

We  had  an  excellent  dinner  in  Mr.  Rapp's  house,  and  the 
musical  members  of  the  society  took  this  opportunity  to  play 
their  best  in  front  of  it.  The  band  consisted  of  twelve  musi 
cians,  and  performed  very  well,  among  them  were  two  who 
played  bugles.  Both  the  Rapp's,  and  especially  the  elder,  ad 
vised  me  strongly  to  settle  in  their  neighbourhood,  and  purchase 
at  ten  miles  hence,  the  Beaver  Falls  on  Beaver  creek,  for  twenty- 
five  thousand  dollars.  There  I  might  establish  iron  works,  said 
they,  and  make  a  great  deal  of  money;  they  and  their  society 
would  assist  me  in  every  possible  manner ! 

With  peculiar  feelings  we  took  leave  of  the  friendly  and  in 
dustrious  Economy,  at  three  o'clock.  No  payment  was  received 
at  the  tavern,  and  we  set  out  through  the  same  beautiful  places 
by  which  we  had  come  towards  Pittsburgh.  Mr.  F.  Rapp,  who 
had  business  there,  followed  us,  accompanied  by  Gertrude.  Dur 
ing  this  ride  I  had  another  opportunity  of  admiring  the  beauti 
ful  rocks  as  we  passed  by,  and  particularly  the  caverns,  probably 
made  in  them  by  water,  which  remind  one  of  the  little  caves 
near  Ems,  on  the  Lahn. 

We  stopped  at  Alleghany  town  to  examine  the  new  and 
unfinished  penitentiary,  which  is  arranged  according  to  the 
system  of  solitary  confinement.  The  whole  is  surrounded  by  a 
high  hexagonal  wall.  The  principal  building,  which  is  of  sand 
stone,  is  three  stories  high.  This  is  to  contain  the  residence  of 
the  superintendent,  the  offices  and  infirmary.  On  two  of  the 
other  angles  of  the  hexagon  are  high  round  towers,  from  which 
the  interior  of  the  house  can  be  overlooked,  where  the  guards  are 
to  be  stationed.  Behind  the  principal  building  in  the  court-yard, 
stands  a  smaller  building,  containing,  besides  many  cells  for  the 
convicts,  the  kitchen  and  wash-house.  In  a  circle  which  is  in 
terrupted  by  the  above  mentioned  buildings,  stands  a  one-story 
building,  containing  convict  cells,  which  has  one  row  of 
entrances  near  the  inner  circular  yard,  and  the  other  towards 
the  space  enclosed  by  the  hexagonal  walls.  Each  cell  is  eight 
feet  long  by  six  broad.  It  contains  a  bench,  and  receives  its 
light  through  an  opening  secured  by  an  external  iron  grate; 
within  this  is  a  wooden  door,  which  the  prisoner  can,  at  his  plea 
sure,  open  or  shut.  Before  each  cell  is  a  very  small  open  space. 
The  cells  are  floored,  and  provided  with  iron  rings  to  which  the 
prisoners  may  be  secured  if  necessary.  These  unfortunates  have 
neither  light  nor  room  enough  to  work ;  I  was  informed  that 
each  prisoner  was  to  be  allowed  to  enjoy  the  fresh  air  for  fifteen 
minutes  daily.  In  this  way,  this  new  system  can  scarcely  li^ve 
any  other  result  than  that  of  destroying  the  health  of  the  con- 


167 

victs.  The  prison  contains  one  hundred  and  ninety-six  cells, 
and  it  is  said,  that  next  autumn  the  first  victims  are  to  be  sacri 
ficed  to  a  mistaken  philanthropy.*  The  expense  of  maintaining 
these  prisoners,  who  are  not  permitted  to  earn  any  thing,  will 
necessarily  be  considerable. 

On  the  20th  of  May  I  went  with  Mr.  F.  Rapp,  who  still  re 
mained  in  Pittsburgh  with  Gertrude,  to  visit  some  manufacturing 
establishments.  We  crossed  the  Monongahela  near  its  mouth, 
in  a  skiff,  to  a  salt-work  on  the  left  bank.  With  the  earth- 
borer  invented  in  England,  and  improved  in  America,  they  found 
salt  water  at  the  depth  of  a  hundred  feet.  As  this  water  was 
thought  to  be  too  weak,  a  pipe  was  placed  in  the  well,  and  bored 
in  another  place,  until  at  the  depth  of  a  hundred  feet  a  sufficiently 
strong  brine  was  obtained.  The  salt  water  collected  and  rose 
to  the  top.  It  is  now  pumped  out  by  a  small  steam-engine  into  a 
boiler,  where  it  is  boiled  for  four  hours.  It  is  then  poured  into 
a  large  vat,  to  the  depth  of  eight  inches.  It  stands  in  this  Vat 
four  hours;  a  little  alum  is  added  to  precipitate  earthy  impurities. 
Hence,  by  a  cock  situated  above  the  level  of  the  precipitated  mat 
ters,  the  fluid  is  drawn  off  into  various  kettles,  in  which  the  now 
pure  brine  is  again  boiled  for  four  hours.  Now  the  white  salt 
begins  to  form,  and  is  skimmed  off  with  large  iron  ladles.  This 
is  a  very  simple  process,  saves  expense  and  room,  and  appears  to 
me  far  better  than  our  great  salt-houses.  In  returning  to  the  city, 
we  saw  many  iron-works,  of  which  there  are  eight  in  the  city 
and  vicinity.  One  of  them  is  a  nail  factory;  the  nail-cutting  ma 
chine  acts  from  above,  and  the  workmen  holds  the  rod  to  be  cut 
with  a  pair  of  tongs,  and  has  to  move  it  at  every  stroke;  a  ham 
mer  strikes  the  nail  which  falls  through  in  such  a  manner  as  to  form 
the  head.  We  also  saw  a  steam-engine  manufactory  of  consider 
able  extent.  I  had  seen  such  an  establishment  previously  in  Eng 
land,  but  as  most  of  the  machines  are  made  here  in  parts,  one 
cannot  see  a  great  deal.  What  most  interested  me  was  a  double 
lever,  by  which  the  holes  are  punched  in  iron  plates  for  the  boil 
ers,  which  are  riveted  together;  a  work  which  requires  a  great 
degree  of  exactness. 

We  next  visited  the  Union  Rolling-mill,  near  the  city,  on  the 
bank  of  the  Monongahela ;  here  also  is  a  nail  factory.  In  the 

*  [It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  able  and  luminous  report  of  the  commissioners 
appointed  by  the  state,  to  make  inquiries  on  the  subject  of  penitentiary  disci 
pline,  will  be  sufficient  to  correct  the  glaring  errors  of  this  new  system;  which 
like  most  of  the  new  systems  of  the  present  day,  is  clearly  proved  thereby 
to  be  more  specious  than  beneficial.  The  evidence  accumulated  by  the  com 
missioners  is  of  a  character  to  satisfy  every  candid  mind,  not  chained  to  the  sup 
port  of  a  particular  theory,  that  solitary  confinement  without  labour,  fa  unequal 
in  operation,  inadequate  to  the  end  proposed,  and  promises  to  be  as  destructive 
to  human  life  as  ^t  is  discordant  to  humane  feelings.] — TRANS. 


168 

patent-office  at  Washington  I  saw  upwards  of  seventy  different  mo 
dels  of  nail-making  machines.  In  this  factory  they  were  cut  by  ho 
rizontally  moving  shears,  and  at  the  same  time  the  heads  were 
formed  by  a  hammer.  A  workman  can  make  a  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds  of  the  smaller  kind  of  nails  daily.  The  preparation  of 
the  iron  plates  from  which  cut  nails  are  made  is  very  interesting. 
The  crude  pig  iron  is  made  white  hot  in  the  furnace;  it  is  thence 
taken  and  rolled  seven  times  through,  between  two  iron  cylin 
ders,  which  are  screwed  closer  together  after  every  revolution. 
It  is  then  passed  seven  times  more  between  two  narrow  cylinders, 
which  are  also  screwed  closer  after  each  time  the  plate  passes. 
By  this  time  the  pig  is  reduced  to  a  plate  less  than  a  quarter  of  an 
inch  thick.  This  plate  is  again  made  red-hot,  and  finally  passed 
between  two  cylinders,  which  are  just  as  broad  as  the  length  of  the 
nails  to  be  cut.  The  piece  in  the  upper  cylinder  passes  directly 
in  one  cut  to  the  lower,  where  the  broad  red-hotplate  is  cut  into 
as  many  strips  as  are  wanted.  The  very  smallest  of  these  are 
used  for  making  wire.  This  machinery  is  set  in  motion  by  a 
large  steam-engine,  which  works  the  bellows  for  the  different 
furnaces  and  forges.  The  whole  reminded  me  of  the  colossal 
iron-works  I  saw  three  years  ago  in  South  Wales. 

Mr.  Rapp  accompanied  me  also  to  a  sieve-maker,  who  weaves 
iron  and  brass  wire,  &c.  which  is  done  in  a  loom  something  like, 
but  longer  than  a  cloth-loom,  in  order  to  extend  the  wire  pro 
perly.  This  one  was  twenty-five  feet  long.  Our  last  visit  was 
to  an  iron  foundry,  where,  during  our  stay,  different  articles, 
grates  and  smoothing  irons  were  cast.  The  smoothing  irons  were 
cast  four  in  a  mould,  and  while  still  red-hot  were  knocked 
asunder. 

In  the  evening  we  went  to  the  United  States  arsenal,  two  miles 
from  the  city,  on  the  Philadelphia  road;  it  is  under  the  com 
mand  of  Major  Churchill  of  the  artillery,  who  received  us  at  his 
house  and  introduced  us  to  his  wife,  and  four  lovely  children. 
This  establishment  contains  a  place  of  about  four  acres,  lying  be 
tween  the  road  and  the  river  Alleghany :  the  front  consists  of  a 
large  four-story  main  building,  of  sandstone,  and  two  smaller  build 
ings,  one  of  which  is  the  residence  of  the  directors  and  the  other 
of  the  sub-directors.  On  entering  the  court-yard,  one  sees  that  the 
side  of  the  quadrangle  facing  the  front  contains  three  buildings 
not  yet  inhabited,  which  are  barracks,  and  four  others,  work 
shops  for  the  repair  of  arms,  &c.  .opposite  to  these  are  two  build 
ings  in  which  are  the  smith  and  wheelwright  shops.  Except  the 
three  fronts,  all  the  buildings  are  of  bricks.  The  arms  are  kept 
in  the  main  building,  where  there  may  be  about  twenty  thousand 
stand ;  most  of  them  are  packed  in  chests :  those  not  packed  up, 
are  very  tastefully  arranged  in  the  hall,  as  trophies.,  &c.  An  arch 


169 

of  steel  is  formed  over  this  hall  by  eighteen  hundred  muskets, 
which  has  a  very  beautiful  appearance.  Both  the  adjoining  build 
ings  are  connected  with  the  centre  by  roofed  passages,  under 
which  are  kept  cannon  of  various  calibers;  most  of  these  are  Eng 
lish,  and  trophies  of  the  late  Commodore  PERRY'S  victory  on 
Lake  Erie. 

The  21st  of  May,  was  Sunday,  and  at  twelve  o'clock,  I  went 
with  Mr.  Bonnhorst  to  the  Episcopal  church.  I  have  generally 
remarked  that  most  of  the  fashionable  people  in  the  United 
States,  either  belong  to  the  Episcopal  church,  or  at  least  prefer 
to  attend  service  there  on  Sunday.  It  is  in  Pittsburgh  style  to 
go  to  this  church,  while  it  would  be  unfashionable  to  visit  the  Me 
thodist  meeting,  to  which  most  of  the  lower  class  of  people  be 
long.  It  is  a  luxury  to  have  a  pew  in  the  Episcopal  church,  and 
an  especial  politeness  to  invite  a  stranger  to  take  a  seat  in  it.  I 
sat  in  Mr.  Bonnhorst's  pew,  which  was  rather  full,  and  the  air  hot. 
In  consequence  of  this,  I  was  much  incommoded  by  the  frequent 
kncelings,  as  well  as  by  the  long  psalms,  which  were  sung  stand 
ing.  We  had  a  very  good  discourse  from  a  rather  youthful  prea 
cher  upon  the  subject  of  the  Trinity,  this  being  Trinity  Sunday. 
The  service  lasted  two  hours. 

Afterwards  we  paid  a  visit  to  Mr.  Baldwin,  a  distinguished 
lawyer.  This  gentleman  was  formerly  a  member  of  congress, 
and  had  paper  and  iron  factories  in  the  vicinity;  he  however  spe 
culated  largely,  and  in  five  weeks  became  a  bankrupt.  However, 
Mr.  Baldwin  lost  nothing  in  public  estimation;  his  practice  as  a 
lawyer  produced  him  a  very  handsome  income.  He  walked  with 
us  to  the  point  where  the  Alleghany  and  Ohio  unite,  the  former 
situation  of  Fort  Duquesne,  of  which  no  trace  now  remains.  The 
English  did  nothing  for  this  fort,  as  in  the  year  1759,  it  was 
evacuated  by  the  French,  who  could  no  longer  obtain  aid  from 
Canada.  The  English  then  demolished  the  fort,  and  built  one 
of  earth,  somewhat  in  rear  of  the  old  one,  called  Fort  Pitt,  whence 
the  name  of  the  city  is  derived.  Fort  Pitt,  of  which  some  re 
mains  of  the  walls  and  a  barracks,  now  form  part  of  an  iron 
work,  appears  to  have  been  a  pentagon  resting  upon  both  rivers. 
During  the  American  revolutionary  war,  this  fort,  which  was  no 
longer  of  importance,  was  abandoned  by  the  English. 

Next  day  Messrs.  Craft  and  Volz,  accompanied  me  to  the  cot 
ton  factory  of  Adams,  Allen  &  Co.     Mr.   Craft  is  one  of  the 
principal  proprietors  of  the  firm,  which  docs  an  extensive  busi 
ness,  notwithstanding  its  recent  establishment.     The  building  is 
of  brick,  four  stories  high,  and  has  two  wings  standing  at  right 
I  angles.     This  factory  employs  two  hundred  people  daily.     All 
:  the  machinery  is  worked  by  a   steam-machine  of  seventy-five 
:  horse-power.     The  machinery   is  similar  to  that  in  Economy, 
VOL.  II.  22 


170 

and  the  fabrics  made  at  Economy  are  copied  from  this  factory, 
&c.  I  saw  nothing  particularly  new,  except  the  machine  which 
picks  the  cotton,  and  thus  saves  a  great  deal  of  filthy  manual  la 
bour.  During  winter  the  factory  is  warmed  by  steam,  throughout. 

After  examining  this  interesting  factory,  we  went  to  the  Ju- 
niata  foundry,  belonging  to  Mr.  Schoneberger.  It  was  a  holy-day, 
as  the  men  were  training  in  the  militia.  The  militia  system  is 
neither  popular  in  this  country  nor  profitable :  the  militia  are 
trained  for  two  days  in  the  year,  of  course  they  can  learn  very 
little;  the  manufacturers  lose  the  work  of  their  people,  and  the 
workmen  lose  their  pay.  Neither  is  the  Pittsburgh  militia  uni 
formed  nor  armed.  The  only  operation  we  witnessed  to-day  at 
the  Juniata  works,  was  the  grinding  of  the  cast  smoothing-irons, 
which  was  done  first  by  stone,  and  then  by  wooden  wheels,  turned 
by  a  horse-mill. 

We  afterwards  visited  Mr.  Volz,  and  saw  a  domestic  ware 
house  containing  all  home  manufactured  articles;  a  really  inte 
resting  museum  of  western  industry  to  strangers.  All  the  fabrics 
of  the  city  and  vicinity  are  brought  here  and  offered  for  sale  on 
commission.  The  articles  are  chiefly  cast  and  wrought  iron 
wares,  all  the  utensils  necessary  for  cotton  or  woollen  factories, 
dye-houses  &c.,  and  various  sorts  of  pure  white,  white  and  blue 
mixed,  or  plain  blue  cotton  stuffs,  but  no  printed  calico.  Some 
of  the  woollen  cloths  were  very  fine,  and  sold  for  seven  dollars 
a  yard ;  they  were  made  at  Steubenville.  A  good  lasting  dye- 
stuff  for  wool  is  still  to  be  desired.  I  saw  here  some  newly-in 
vented  locks;  fine  steelware  is  not  very  abundant,  and  the  cutlery 
business  is  still  in  its  infancy. 

Finally,  we  visited  Mr.  Eichbaum,  seventy-six  years  old;  he 
is  a  glass-cutter,  father  of  the  owner  of  a  wire  factory,  and  post 
master  of  the  city.  By  his  skill  and  industry  he  has  amassed  a 
very  handsome  fortune.  He  was  formerly  in  Carlsruhe,  and 
boasted  much  of  the  court  of  Baden,  and  particularly  of  the  wife 
of  the  Margrave. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

Journey  to  Philadelphia ,  and  second  stay  in  that  city, 

On  the  23d  of  May,  at  eight  o'clock,  we  commenced  our  jour 
ney  to  Philadelphia,  in  the  mail  stage.  I  left  Pittsburgh  with 
much  regret;  it  pleased  me  in  every  respect,  and  would  have 


171 

pleased  me  still  more  had  I  continued  there  longer.  Two  roads 
lead  from  Pittsburgh  to  Harrisburg,  the  northern  and  the  south 
ern,  and  as  it  was  of  no  moment  which  I  took,  I  chose  the  former, 
as  this  was  travelled  by  the  stage,  which  leaves  Ramsay's  hotel. 
We  rode  fifty-six  miles  to  Armagh,  and  changed  horses  but  twice, 
at  M 'Miller's  and  New  Alexandria.  These  changes  are  too  dis 
tant  to  allow  the  horses  to  travel  with  rapidity,  and  they  have  in 
Pennsylvania  a  custom  of  watering  the  horses  every  three  or  four 
miles.  The  country  is  hilly;  the  road  had  been  a  turnpike, 
is  still  so  called,  and  is  furnished  with  toll-gates,  where  toll 
must  be  paid,  but  is  in  a  dreadfully  bad  state.  The  traveller  is 
jolted  in  a  barbarous  manner,  and  still  makes  but  little  progress; 
the  heat  and  the  dust  of  this  day  were  almost  intolerable.  We 
met  many  travellers  and  emigrants  from  the  east,  going  with 
their  families  and  goods  to  the  western  states,  to  settle  there. 
The  western  states  appear  to  the  inhabitants  of  the  eastern  and 
northern  states,  in  the  same  light  in  which  Europeans,  and 
particularly  the  Germans,  view  the  -United  States  in  general. 
They  expect  to  find  here  the  land  of  promise,  where  milk  and 
honey  flows,  and  are  sometimes  much  disappointed;  though  many, 
however,  derive  great  advantage  from  the  change. 

We  passed  through  East  Liberty,  Wilkinsburgh,  Murrysville, 
New  Alexandria  and  Blairsville — all  unimportant.  The  streams 
were  the  Loyalhanna  and  the  Connamaughe,  with  high  and  rocky 
shores.  Wooden  bridges  are  thrown  over  these  rivers,  but  are 
so  bad  that  one  of  our  leaders  broke  through  two  planks  of  one 
of  them,  and  was  extricated  with  much  difficulty.  In  the  evening 
we  passed  over  the  first  of  the  chains  of  mountains,  which  cross 
this  country  from  south-west  to  north-east,  and  divide  the 
regions  of  the  Mississippi  from  the  Atlantic  states.  It  was 
Chesnut-ridge,  which  is  tolerably  high.  Beyond  this  we  saw  a 
still  more  mountainous  region;  the  valleys  we  met  with  were  in 
a  state  of  cultivation.  It  was  eleven  o'clock  at  night  before  we 
reached  Armagh,  as  the  accident  on  the  bridge  had  detained  us 
some  time.  At  two  o'clock,  A.  M.  we  continued  our  journey. 

We  rode  fifty-eight  miles  to  Alexandria,  through  Ebensburg, 
Munster,  Blair's  Gap,  Hollydaysburg,  a'nd  Williamsburg.  A  few 
miles  beyond  Armagh,  we  came  to  another  of  the  parallel  ridges, 
callel  Laurel  hill.  I  ascended  the  mountain  on  foot;  as  the  SUH 
was  just  rising,  the  fresh  and  green  dress  of  the  trees,  together 
with  the  fragrance  of  the  blooming  azaleas,  made  a  very  pleasing 
impression  on  me.  These  honeysuckles  were  in  bloom  on  al 
most  all  the  mountains  which  we  passed  this  day;  rose-coloured 
kalmias  began  to  bloom;  the  rhododendrons  had  not  yet  com- 
I  menced.  The  fragrance  of  the  white  acacias  was  often  combined 
;  with  that  of  the  azaleas.  The  other  trees  which  we  saw  on  thin 


172 

mountain,  were  chesmit,  walnut,  and  hickory  trees,  sumac,  some 
large-leaved  linden  trees,  large  pines,  maples,  and  planes;  the 
two  latter  kinds,  however,  were  found  in  greater  numbers  in  the 
valleys.  Amid  these  mountains,  with  their  lovely  prospects,  and 
this  splendid  vegetation,  the  mind  feels  itself  exalted,  and  the 
heart  strengthened.  This  enjoyment,  however,  of  the  traveller, 
,is  somewhat  diminished  by  the  bad  roads,  which  appear  to  be 
neglected,  although  the  payment  of  toll  is  not  forgotten. 

After  we  descended  Laurel  hill,  we  rode  several  miles  through 
a  tolerably  thick  woods,  and  reached  Ebensburg,  where  we 
changed  horses  for  the  first  time.  This  is  a  small  and  handsomely 
situated  place,  of  about  three  hundred  inhabitants,  appearing, 
however,  rather  to  decrease  than  increase.  Two  miles  from  this 
place,  lies  a  small  and  quite  deserted  village,  called  Beula,  found 
ed  by  Welchmcn,  who,  however,  dispersed,  as  they  found  it  of 
no  advantage  to  continue  there.  After  leaving  Ebensburg,  and 
behind  this  place,  we  ascended  the  Alleghany  mountains,  the 
highest  in  this  region.  The  highest  point  which  we  passed  is 
called  Blair's  Gap,  and  considered  to  be  more  than  three  thou 
sand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  The  turnpike,  though  ne 
glected,  is  still  well  laid  out,  and  the  ascent  of  the  mountain  is 
by  no  means  steep.  These  regions  have  a  remarkable  aspect, 
they  consist  of  ridges,  which  adjoin  each  other,  and  are  of  a  pris 
matic  form;  the  ridge  above  is  perfectly  level,  and  only  thirty 
paces  broad.  When  standing  in  front  of  such  a  ridge,  one  moun 
tain  appears  as  high  and  long  as  the  other,  which  adjoins  it. 

After  leaving  the  Alleghany  mountains,  of  whose  vegetation 
the  same  remark  might  be  made  as  of  Laurel  hill,  we  reached  a 
lovely  valley,  where  we  found  by  the  side  of  a  creek,  a  large 
stone  mill,  and  a  group  of  good  houses,  Blair's  Gap  post-office. 
We  here  again  changed  horses.  This  creek  is  called  Beaverdam 
creek,  and  empties  into  the  Juniata,  between  Hollydaysburg  and 
Frankstown.  The  region  near  this  stream  is  said  to  produce 
good  iron,  and,  as  was  before  remarked,  much  use  is  made  at 
Harper's  Ferry  of  Juniata  iron.  At  Frankstown  we  reached  the 
Juniata,  and  passed  the  rest  of  the  day  on  its  shores.  The  road 
often  ran  close  to  the  river.  Here,  as  well  as  on  the  passage  over 
the  mountains,  railings  were  altogether  wanting  on  the  turnpike, 
and  the  road  often  passes  by  the  edge  of  deep  precipices.  When 
large  wagons  meet,  a  false  step  of  a  horse  at  these  dangerous 
places  would  have  led  to  our  unavoidable  destruction.  The  road 
is  often  cut  out  of  the  rock;  we  remarked  at  several  places  in  the 
mountains,  declivities,  which  seem  to  be  strewed  with  pieces  o$ 
rocks  of  different  sizes  in  a  very  remarkable  manner. 

Beyond  Frankstown  we  came  to  a  valley,  which  is  formed  on 
the  right  side  by  Lock  mountain,  and  on  the  left  by  Brush  moun- 


173 

tain.  Parallel  with  the  latter,  for  a  short  distance  runs  a  ridge, 
which  commences  in  this  valley,  and  is  called  Canoe  mountains. 
It  commences  with  a  single  hill,  Canoe  hill,  which  forms  a  right- 
angle,  and  in  a  manner  closes  the  valley.  Between  this  hill  and 
Lock  mountains,  the  Juniata  forces  its  passage;  the  road  leads 
over  Canoe  hill  to  a  handsome  valley,  called  Canoe  valley,  in 
the  centre  of  which  stands  an  inn  with  a  farm,  named  Yellow 
Spring.  This  name  is  derived  from  a  spring,  arising  in  a  rocky 
basin  behind  the  farm,  not  far  from  which  it  empties  into  the  Ju 
niata.  The  spring  is  said  to  be  chalybeate,  and  to  give  the  stones 
over  which  it  flows  a  yellow  colour;  however,  neither  taste  nor 
si glit  could  distinguish  the  chalybeate  qualities.  Some  miles 
from  Alexandria  we  passed  a  defile  in  the  Tussey  mountains, 
where  the  Juniata  again  forces  its  way.  About  nine  o'clock, 
P.  M.,  we  arrived  at  Alexandria,  where  we  passed  the  night. 
Here  I  heard  in  the  evening,  for  the  first  time  the  croaking  of 
the  large  frog,  known  under  the  name  of  bullfrog.  It  resembles 
the  bleating  of  a  calf,  or  rather  the  roaring  of  a  young  steer. 
Alexandria  is  a  small  place,  and  contains  about  three  hundred. in 
habitants. 

We  intended  to  leave  Alexandria  at  three  o'clock,  A.  M.,  but 
the  driver  overslept  himself,  and  we  were  obliged  to  wait  till 
four  o'clock.  We  rode  sixty  miles  to  Thomsonstown.  The  coun 
try  was  again  tolerably  hilly ;  we  remained  for  the  most  part  on 
the  left  side  of  the  Juniata.  A  few  miles  below  Alexandria 
we  passed  indeed  by  a  ford  to  the  right  side,  but  after  passing  a 
mountain,  belonging  to  Warrior's  ride,  we  returned  seven  miles 
below  at  Huntingdon,  to  the  left  side  again,  under  a  roofed  bridge. 
We  passed  through  Huntingdon;  Lamberts,  where  we  changed 
horses;  and  Waynesburg,  Lewistown,  Mifflin  and  Mexico.  These 
places  in  general  were  unimportant,  but  well-built,  with  many 
substantial  houses.  Between  Huntingdon  and  Waynesburg,  the 
road  led  through  Jack's  mountains,  at  the  place  where  the  Ju 
niata  forces  its  passage.  The  road  is  here  generally  cut  through 
the  rock,  and  runs  without  railings  along  a  deep  precipice  by  the 
river.  After  this,  comes  Juniata  valley,  which  is  formed  on  the 
left  by  the  low  Limestone-ridge,  behind  which,  the  high  Jack's 
mountains  rise,  and  on  the  right  by  Blue-ridge,  which  rises  im 
mediately  out  of  the  Juniata.  This  valley  reminded  me  of  the 
regions  on  the  river  Lahn  in  Nassau,  except  that  the  mountains 
of  the  Lahn  arc  not  so  high  as  these,  and  not  so  handsomely  co 
vered  with  trees  to  their  summit.  Waynesburg,  where  we  again 
changed  horses,  occupies  a  very  romantic  situation  on  the  Juniata. 
Lewistown  on  the  Juniata,  is  well-built  and  finely  situated.  The 
road  hence  to  Thomsonstown,  led  through  a  hilly  country  along 
the  river  and  continued  bad.  On  the  other  side  of  the  river,  the 


174 

high  Tuscarora  mountains  rise.  The  river  is  navigable  from  this 
place  to  Waynesburg ;  we  saw  keel-boats  in  it.  We  did  not  reach 
Thomsonstown  till  ten  o'clock  at  night;  we  had  seen  but  little  of 
the  surrounding  country,  though  I  heard  it  was  very  handsome. 

May  26th,  we  arose  at  two  o'clock,  A.  M.,  and  rode  to  Lan 
caster,  distant  seventy-one  miles,  through  Millerstown,  Coxtown, 
Harrisburg,  High  Spire,  Middletown,  Rockstown,  Franklin,  Eli- 
zabethtown  and  Mountjoy.  At  first  the  road  went  through  a 
hilly  country  along  the  left  side  of  the  Juniata;  then  we  crossed 
in  a  boat  at  Beelen's  Ferry.  The  water  was  low,  so  that  the 
rocky  bottom  of  the  river  could  be  seen.  A  canal,  which  is  al 
ready  marked  out,  is  intended  to  obviate  the  difficulties  of  the 
navigation,  arising  from  the  low  state  of  the  water.  The  road 
which  we  now  passed,  and  which  was  not  a  turnpike,  led  us  over 
three  hills,  Limestone-ridge,  Mahony-ridge  and  Dick's  hill  to 
Clark's  Ferry,  on  the  Susquehanna,  a  little  below  the  place  where 
the  Juniata  empties  into  the  Susquehanna,  which  is  here  about  a 
mile  wide,  and  rushes  between  two  high  ridges  over  a  very  rocky 
bed,  in  which  at  several  places  dams  have  been  raised  with  pas 
sages  in  order  to  facilitate  the  navigation.  On  the  left  side  a  canal 
had  already  been  laid  out.  At  Clark's  Ferry,  we  had  an  extreme 
ly  handsome  view  of  the  Susquehanna,  which  is  here  surrounded 
by  such  high  mountains,  that  it  resembles  a  lake,  and  calls  to 
mind  Lake  George,  in  New  York.  On  the  left  its  junction  with 
the  Juniata  takes  place,  and  on  the  right  it  forces  itself  through  a 
gap  in  a  high  ridge,  which  on  the  right  side  is  called  Mount  Pe 
ter,  and  on  the  left,  Cave  mountain.  Through  this  opening  an 
other  valley  is  seen  bounded  by  the  Blue  mountains.  The  broad 
Susquehanna  is  seen  in  front,  and  the  high  Mount  Peter  on  the 
other  shore. 

At  Clark's  Ferry  we  crossed  the  Susquehanna  in  a  ferry 
boat.  The  water  was  so  clear,  that  the  rocky  bottom  could  be 
distinctly  seen.  Cove  mountain  forms  an  arch  on  the  right 
shore,  and  touches  the  Susquehanna  with  its  two  extremities, 
not  far  from  Clark's  Ferry,  and  again  eight  miles  below  ;  at  this 
place  a  rocky  mountain  nine  hundred  feet  high  on  the  left  shore 
corresponds  with  it,  and  forms  a  part  of  a  ridge  called  Second 
mountain.  In  a  space  of  eight  miles,  four  ridges  of  mountains 
run  parallel  to  each  other,  first  Mount  Peter,  then  Third  moun 
tain,  afterwards  Second  mountain,  and  last  the  Blue  mountains. 
This  country  is  said  to  abound  in  good  stone-coal.  The  road 
which  we  travelled  is  a  turnpike,  and  runs  between  the  Susque 
hanna  and  this  mountain,  out  of  which  it  is  partly  cut.  The 
Blue  mountains,  through  which  the  Susquehanna  forces  its  way 
at  nght  angles,  forms  the  last  chain  of  mountains  on  our  route. 
I  had  first  seen  this  chain  of  mountains  at  Nazareth,  then  at  Har- 


175 

per's  Ferry,  as  I  went  to  the  west,  and  last  of  all,  as  1  travelled 
in  an  eastern  direction  from  Staunton  to  Charlotteville. 

Behind  the  Blue  mountains  we  saw  grain  and  Indian  corn 
flourish  in  a  cultivated  region,  and  reached  Harrisburg.  We 
delayed  here  about  two  hours,  and  met  with  a  stage  which  had 
come  from  Pittsburgh  by  the  southern  road.  Harrisburg  is  two 
hundred  and  nine  miles  from  Pittsburgh,  and  a  hundred  from 
Philadelphia,  occupies  a  somewhat  elevated  position  between  the 
left  side  of  the  Susquehanna  and  Paxton  creek,  and  may  contain 
about  four  thousand  inhabitants.  It  is  the  metropolis  and  seat  of 
government  of  the  state  of  Pennsylvania,  and  contains  a  capitol, 
with  the  other  necessary  buildings.  These  stand  on  an  elevation, 
commanding  the  city;  the  capitol  is  in  the  middle,  and  on  both 
sides  of  it  are  two  buildings  containing  public  offices.  All  three 
are  of  brick,  and  their  entrances  decorated  with  colonnades  of 
white  stone.  These  columns  stand  in  a  semicircle.  The  capitol 
consists  of  two  stories,  with  a  cupola  sustained  by  columns.  The 
assembly  rooms  of  the  senate  and  of  the  representatives  are  in 
the  lower  story;  the  seats  are  arranged  in  a  semicircle,  and  rise  in 
height  as  in  an  amphitheatre.  The  upper  story  contains  lodgings 
for  the  governor,  which  are  indeed  splendid,  however,  the  present 
governor,  Mr.  Shulze,  does  not  use  them,  and  inhabits  a  private 
house  in  the  city.  I  regretted  that  my  time  did  not  allow  me  to 
form  a  personal  acquaintance  with  this  public  officer,  of  whom  such 
different  opinions  have  been  entertained.  The  capitol  and  offices 
are  covered  with  slate,  whilst  the  houses  of  the  city  are  generally 
roofed  with  shingles.  The  city  is  regularly  built,  with  paved 
streets,  and  contains  many  brick  houses,  a  court-house,  and  a  jail. 
A  covered  wooden  bridge  leads  over  the  Susquehanna,  which  is 
divided  by  an  island  in  the  river  into  two  parts.  The  piers  of 
this  bridge  consist  of  stone,  not  united  by  mortar,  but  by  iron 
clamps. 

At  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  left  Harrisburg,  and  rode 
thirty -six  miles  farther  to  Lancaster,  in  hot  weather  and  much, 
dust.  The  road  was  better,  the  stage  more  convenient,  the 
changes  shorter,  and  the  passage  quicker.  We  continued  on  the 
left  side  of  the  Susquehanna  for  nine  miles;  at  Middletown  we 
forded  the  Swatara  creek,  although  a  handsome  wooden  roofed 
bridge  leads  over  it,  and  then  left  the  shores  of  the  Susquehanna. 
After  passing  Conewago  creek,  we  entered  Lancaster  county, 
celebrated  for  its  good  cultivation,  and  almost  entirely  inhabited 
by  descendants  of  Germans.  The  fields  all  appear  to  be  extremely 
well  cultivated ;  worm-fences  were  superseded  by  posts  and  rails/ 
I  was  particularly  struck  with  the  barns,  which  often  look  better 
than  the  dwelling-houses;  the  houses  are  generally  of  wood,  and 
not  handsome,  whereas  the  barns  are  generally  built  of  stone, 


176 

at  least  the  lower  parts  containing  the  stabling,  and  the  two  gable- 
ends.  Between  these,  the  barn  is  built  of  wood  ;  a  broad  ascent 
leads  to  the  entrance  on  one  side,  and  on  the  other,  the  barn 
forms  a  broad  shed  over  the  entrances  of  the  stables.  The  cattle 
and  horses  appear  to  great  advantage,  and  the  breeding  of  sheep 
seems  to  receive  attention.  The  houses  are  surrounded  by 
orchards,  and  in  the  greater  part  of  these  I  observed  cider  presses. 
The  smiths  here  burn  their  charcoal  close  to  the  shops;  I  saw 
near  several  of  these  charcoal  kilns  on  fire,  in  the  villages.  We 
passed  by  means  of  wooden  bridges  two  small  creeks,  Little 
Chickic  and  Big  Chickic  creeks. 

The  bridges  over  the  Swatara  rest  on  dry  stone  piers.  Instead 
of  worm  fences  and  other  hedging,  I  saw  to-day,  also,  some  dry 
walls,  such  as  I  had  seen  last  summer  in  Massachusetts.  We 
came  to  Lancaster  at  ten  o'clock  at  night,  and  found  lodgings  in 
a  very  good  tavern.  During  our  ride  in  the  dark,  we  saw  a  large 
number  of  fireflies,  which  abounded  particularly  near  wet  mea 
dows.  We  had  for  several  days  past  also  seen  very  handsomely 
coloured  butterflies  of  different  kinds. 

I  passed  the  27th  of  May  in  Lancaster,  for  three  reasons:  first, 
I  felt  the  effects  of  my  long  journey,  of  the  heat,  and  of  want  of 
rest;  secondly,  I  did  not  wish  to  pass  Sunday  in  Philadelphia, 
where  it  is  very  particularly  tiresome;  and  thirdly,  I  wished  to 
post  up  my  journal,  which  had  been  necessarily  neglected  during 
the  preceding  days.  I  took  advantage  of  the  cool  morning  to  view 
the  place. 

Lancaster  is  the  chief  city  of  Lancaster  county,  and  contains 
about  six  thousand  inhabitants.  It  is  built  on  a  hill ;  the  streets 
cross  each  other  at  right  angles,  and  arc  generally  paved  and  sup 
plied  with  side-walks,  shaded  by  Italian  poplars.  The  houses 
are  principally  of  brick,  though  some  are  also  quite  massive; 
here  and  there  a  frame  building  may  be  seen.  A  square  place 
stands  in  the  middle  of  the  city,  in  whose  centre  the  court-house 
is  erected.  The  market-houses  are  not  far  from  this.  The  mu 
seum  contains  merely  poor  wax  figures,  some  Indian  curio 
sities,  stuffed  animals,  shells,  some  fishes,  and  minerals.  A 
tame  gazelle,  which  had  been  taught  several  tricks,  was  also  exhi 
bited;  it  could  cypher,  distinguish  different  cards,  knew  names, 
&c.  Some  of  the  inhabitants  visited  me,  among  whom  was  a  Mr. 
Voigt,  of  Lcipsig,  who  conducted  us  about  the  place.  Lancaster 
is  said  to  produce  the  best  rifles  in  the  United  States.  I  bought 
one  for  eleven  dollars  to  take  home  with  me,  as  a  curiosity.  Mr. 
Voigt  took  us  to  a  public  garden  near  the  city,  which  was  tastc- 
1  ully  arranged,  and  where  the  inhabitants  of  the  place  enjoyed 
themselves  in  playing  ten-pins,  and  in  other  innocent  amusements. 
We  went  afterwards  on  the  Baltimore  road,  over  a  roofed  wooden 


177 

bridge,  which  leads  over  Conestoga  creek.  This  bridge  resem 
bles  those  in  Ohio,  though  much  lighter;  it  cannot  last  long.  The 
arches  in  Ohio  are  formed  of  eight  or  ten  planks  placed  over  each 
other,  and  united  by  screws,  so  that  the  bridge  seems  to  rest  on 
springs,  resembling  those  of  carriages;  whereas,  here  the  arch 
consisted  of  a  single  crooked  fir  tree.  In  the  evening  I  received 
a  number  of  visits,  among  which  I  may  mention  one  from  a  mem 
ber  of  congress,  Mr.  Buchanan,  whose  speeches  in  congress  are 
received  with  much  applause,  and  a  Mennonist,  Mr.  Witmer, 
who  showed  me  a  contrivance,  invented  by  himself,  to  cool 
wine. 

On  the  28th  of  May  we  left  Lancaster,  at  five  o'clock,  A.  M. 
The  turnpike  was  in  a  good  state,  and  we  advanced  on  an  average 
five  miles  an  hour,  so  that  we  reached  Philadelphia  before  seven 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  after  travelling  sixty-four  miles.  Be 
tween  Lancaster  and  Philadelphia,  we  passed  through  Sanders- 
burg,  Paradise,  Sadsbury,  Coastville,  Downingstown,  and  Warre; 
between  these  there  are  yet  a  number  of  settlements  and  taverns. 
The  streams  are  Conestoga  creek,  near  which  they  are  digging 
the  navigable  canal,  Peegnea  creek,  two  arms  of  the  Brandy  wine, 
and  last  of  all  the  Schuylkill  at  Philadelphia.  Upon  the  whole, 
the  country  is  not  hilly ;  we  had  only  to  ascend  Mine  ridge,  on 
which  we  rode  for  several  miles. 

The  whole  country  is  cultivated  in  a  most  excellent  manner, 
and  covered  with  handsome  farms;  many  barns  look  like  large 
churches.  The  fences  were  often  supplied  by  dry  stone  walls, 
or  live  hedges.  A  well-built  hospital  stands  not  far  from  Lan 
caster,  to  which  an  avenue  of  Lombardy  poplars  leads,  here 
much  admired.  The  country  about  Brandywine  is  classic  ground, 
on  which  much  blood  was  shed  during  the  revolution.  We 
passed  near  to  Valley  Forge,  where  the  great  Washington 
was  encamped  with  his  corps,  whilst  the  English  held  Philadel 
phia.  The  farther  we  proceeded,  the  more  clearly  we  saw  that 
we  approached  a  large  city,  for  the  number  of  elegant  country- 
seats  increased,  and  people  in  handsome  attire  met  us  on  foot,  on 
horseback,  and  in  carriages.  In  Philadelphia  we  again  took 
lodgings  at  the  Mansion-house. 

Thus  I  was  once  more  on  well  known  ground,  in  beloved  Phi 
ladelphia.  During  the  few  days  which  I  could  pass  here,  old 
acquaintances  were  renewed  with  pleasure,  and  new  ones  form 
ed  with  new  interest.  At  the  same  time  I  saw  several  things 
which  had  escaped  me  at  my  former  visit.  Mr.  Huygens,  who 
had  hitherto  been  my  companion,  now  left  me,  and  returned  to 
his  friends  at  Washington. 

I  rode  to  the  Deaf  and  Dumb  Asylum,  with  my  old  friend  Mr. 

VOL.  II.  23 


178 

Roberts  Vaux,  the  philanthropic  Quaker,  and  with  Mr.  Nieder- 
stetter,  charg6  d'affaires  of  the  king  of  Prussia.  I  had  before 
omitted  to  visit  this  establishment,  as  the  pupils  were  just  leav 
ing  their  old  temporary  dwelling  in  the  city,  to  move  in  their 
newly-built  house.  This  house  is  large  and  massive.  It  consists 
of  a  principal  building,  which  is  reached  by  means  of  a  portal, 
decorated  with  four  doric  columns;  and  of  two  wings  behind  it, 
one  of  which  is  inhabited  by  the  boys,  and  the  other  by  the  girls. 
There  were  at  that  time  eighty  pupils  in  the  institution,  fifty 
maintained  by  the  state  of  Pennsylvania,  thirteen  by  their  fa 
milies,  five  by  the  state  of  New  Jersey,  and  twelve  by  the  insti 
tution  itself.  It  has  now  subsisted  for  six  years;  at  the  begin 
ning  it  was  founded  by  voluntary  contributions  and  subscriptions; 
the  legislature  of  Pennsylvania  afterwards  gave  eight  thousand 
dollars,  and  the  state  annually  pays  one  hundred  and  fifty  dol 
lars  for  every  pupil  which  it  has  placed  here.  The  direction  of 
the  institution  consists  of  a  president,  four  vice  presidents,  among 
which  was  Mr.  Vaux,  a  treasurer,  a  secretary,  and  at  this  time, 
twenty-three  directors.  A  principal  teacher,  Mr.  L.  Weld, 
four  tutors,  a  matron,  and  two  physicians  preside  over  the  house. 

Mr.  Weld  had  passed  a  long  time  at  Hartford  in  Connecticut, 
and  had  learned  the  method  of  instruction  in  the  deaf  and  dumb 
asylum  at  that  place,  which  he  practises  here  with  great  success. 
He  was  teaching  one  of  the  lower  classes  when  we  arrived.  He 
dictated  to  the  pupils  something  on  subjects  of  natural  history, 
which  they  wrote  with  great  rapidity  on  large  slates.  We  put 
several  questions  to  them,  which  they  answered  with  much  sa 
gacity.  Mr.  Niederstetter  asked  them  if  they  could  form  any 
idea  of  music;  one  of  the  boys  answered,  he  well  knew  that 
there  were  tones,  and  that  several  tones  systematically  combin 
ed  made  a  sound,  but  what  this  was,  and  how  all  this  was  con 
nected  together,  he  could  form  no  idea.  In  other  rooms,  other 
pupils  were  engaged  in  writing  and  cyphering.  One  of  them 
had  made  much  progress  in  crayon  drawing,  and  was  just  work 
ing  at  a  portrait  of  President  Adams.  The  boys  learn  trades, 
several  were  weaving,  othere  were  making  shoes,  &c.,  the  girls 
learn  to  sow  and  knit.  The  clothes,  which  the  pupils  wear  in 
the  house,  are  all  made  there.  They  have  a  common  eating  room, 
and  each  sex  has  separate  sleeping  rooms,  where  two  sleep  in 
one  bed;  besides,  each  wing  contains  a  separate  infirmary.  Every 
where  I  saw  the  most  exemplary  cleanliness  and  order  prevail; 
the  pupils  had  a  very  healthy  appearance. 

I  conversed  with  some  of  them  in  writing;  one  of  them  asked 
me,  what  was  my  favourite  study,  I  answered  mathematics. 
Upon  this  he  wrote  to  me,  that  he  was  also  pleased  with  this 
study,  but  found  no  opportunity  of  making  great  progress  in  it. 


179 

In  order  to  teach  the  pupils  the  principles  of  arithmetic,  a  ma 
chine  is  used  similar  to  the  Russian.  A  vegetable  garden  behind, 
and  at  the  sides  of  the  building,  which  was  then  preparing,  was 
intended  to  serve  also  as  a  place  of  recreation  for  the  pupils.  I 
could  not  forbear  making  to  Mr.  Weld  an  especial  expression  of 
the  great  pleasure  which  this  institution  and  his  method  of  in 
struction  gave  me. 

I  saw  the  Academy  of  Fine  Arts  last  autumn,  but  went  there 
again,  as  the  exhibition  of  paintings  had  been  opened.  This  col 
lection,  however,  consisted  merely  of  portraits,  and  these  were 
rather  indifferent.  In  general,  the  fine  arts,  as  I  believe  has 
already  been  mentioned,  do  not  yet  flourish  in  the  United  States 
to  a  great  degree;  perhaps  this  is  to  be  Attributed  to  the  taste  of 
the  Americans,  which  they  inherited  from  their  English  ances 
tors,  and  which  does  not  appear  to  be  very  great  for  painting.  * 
But  I  rather  believe,  and  this  idea  president  Jefferson  gave  me, 
that  the  little  encouragement  which  the  fine  arts  receive  in  this 
country  is  to  be  attributed  to  the  equal  division  of  property  among 
the  children,  so  that  in  large  families  an  estate  cannot  be  long 
kept  together. 

I  saw  also,  in  company  with  Messrs.  Vaux  and  Niederstetter, 
the  mint  of  the  United  States,  which  is  established  here.  In  the 
year  1793,  when  Philadelphia  was  still  the  seat  of  government 
of  the  United  States,  this  mint  was  located  in  a  newly-built  pri 
vate  house,  and  it  is  as  yet  the  only  one  in  the  United  States. 
The  processes  in  this  mint  are  very  simple,  and  but  few  improve 
ments  are  yet  adapted,  which  so  greatly  distinguish  the  mints  of 
London  and  Milan.  They  were  doing  but  little  when  we  came; 
we  saw  nothing  but  the  stretching  of  the  bars  of  silver  between 
cylinders,  like  those  in  the  rolling  mills  at  Pittsburgh,  and  the 
stamping  of  the  pieces,  which  was  done  by  means  of  a  contri 
vance  similar  to  that  by  which  rivet-holes  are  made  in  the  iron 
plates  for  steam-engine  boilers.  We  saw,  moreover,  the  cutting 
of  half  dollar  pieces,  which  is  done  by  means  of  a  stamp,  worked 
by  two  men.  A  third  stands  by  to  place  the  uncoined  pieces  in 
a  box,  which  are  then  brought  under  the  stamp  by  a  particular 
contrivance.  After  they  are  coined,  they  fall  by  means  of  this 
contrivance  into  a  box  which  stands  below.  Since  1803,  no  larger 
silver  coins  are  made  than  half  dollars,  as  the  dollars  were  imme 
diately  bought  up  and  exported  to  China  for  trade,  because  the 

*  [This  is  a  very  erroneous  idea.  The  taste  for  painting  and  music  has  not 
been  cultivated,  generally,  in  this  country,  on  account  of  the  condition  of  pro 
perty  and  society,  which  demand  of  Americans  a  primary  devotion  to  things 
absolutely  necessary  and  useful.  As  wealth  becomes  more  accumulated,  artists 
will  be  encouraged;  and  then  we  have  no  fear  of  their  being  long  inferior  to 
the  artists  of  any  other  nation.] — TRANS, 


180 

merchants  there  will  take  no  smaller  coins  than  dollars.  We  saw 
also  a  collection  of  medals  stamped  here,  some  of  which,  particu 
larly  those  which  were  struck  after  naval  victories,  are  very  well 
finished.  One  side  represents  the  bust  of  the  naval  hero  in  whose 
honour  the  medal  was  struck,  and  the  reverse  represents  the  ac 
tion  itself.  A  golden  medal  was  struck  after  the  victory  of  General 
Jackson  at  New  Orleans,  one  side  exhibiting  the  bust  of  the  gene 
ral,  and  the  reverse  a  figure  representing  the  United  States  point 
ing  to  the  Muse  of  History,  writing  on  a  shield  the  name  of  New 
Orleans.  The  medal  which  the  Agricultural  Society  bestows  at 
the  annual  cattle  show,  is  also  handsome.  It  is  to  be  regretted, 
that  all  the  medals,  which  were  struck  before  president  Monroe's 
administration,  are  missing  in  this  collection.  The  mint  itself  is 
very  small,  and  its  boundaries  are  still  more  limited  by  a  twelve 
horse-power  steam-engine.  No  application,  however,  is  made  to 
congress  for  a  larger  and  better  building,  as  it  is  feared  that  con 
gress  might  then  propose  to  remove  the  whole  establishment  of 
the  mint  to  Washington. 

We  visited  the  Episcopalian  church  yard,  in  which  lies  Dr. 
Franklin's  grave,  who  died  in  the  same  year,  and  rests  in  the 
same  grave  with  his  wife.  It  is  near  the  wall,  and  covered  with 
a  large  white  marble  slab,  with  the  following  inscription:  — 

Benjamin 


I  confess  these  simple  words  appear  to  me  more  eloquent  and 
noble,  and  spoke  to  me  in  a  more  affecting  manner,  than  any  en 
comiastic  epitaph  could  have  done.  The  celebrated  Professor 
Rush,  father  of  the  present  secretary  of  the  treasury,  is  also  bu 
ried  here.  This  grave-yard,  like  the  rest  in  Philadelphia,  is  in 
the  midst  of  the  city,  an  evil  of  which  much  is  said,  but  which 
it  would  be  difficult  to  remedy. 

Another  visit  was  made  to  Peale's  Museum.  I  found,  how 
ever,  nothing  new,  except  a  terrible  rattlesnake,  which  was  alive, 
and  with  two  smaller  harmless  snakes,  formed  an  extremely  ugly 
ball  in  a  glass  case.  Its  rattles  could  not  be  exactly  seen,  as  they 
were  covered  by  its  flat  and  broad  body.  The  body  is  full  of 
scales,  and  the  head  uncommonly  broad,  in  comparison  with  the 
head  of  other  snakes.  It  was  almost  stiff,  and  only  moved  the 
head  when  any  one  approached  too  closely.  It  had  handsome 
bright  black  eyes,  and  there  was  a  quite  small  triangular  aperture 
m  the  upper  lip,  through  which  its  long,  black,  forked  tongue 
was  projected,  when  irritated.  I  could  not  make  it  open  its 
mouth  to  see  its  teeth.  They  told  me  that  it  was  fed  with  mice, 
which  it  first  bit,  and  after  they  had  died  in  convulsions,  swal- 


181 

lowed.  Among  the  many  gentlemen  who  paid  me  Visits,  I  men 
tion  only  Mr.  Autenrieth,  of  Lehigh  county,  as  he  gave  me 
much  interesting  information  concerning  the  coal  mines  on  the 
Lehigh,  and  at  Mauch  Chunk,  which  I  intended  to  visit  in  a  few 
days.  But  I  met  with  a  very  agreeable  surprise  in  the  appear 
ance  of  the  excellent  General  Bernard ;  this  worthy  officer,  whose 
acquaintance  forms  one  of  my  most  pleasing  recollections  of  the 
United  States,  was  to  pass  but  two  days  in  Philadelphia,  in  order 
to  advise  with  a  canal  commission.  General  Bernard  is  one  of 
the  few  meritorious  men,  of  whom  one  hears  nobody  speak  other 
wise  than  well;  and  if  he  had,  in  an  incomprehensible  manner, 
any  enemies,  his  amiable  character  would  at  the  first  meeting 
change  them  into  friends. 

I  again  met  with  a  very  friendly  reception  on  the  part  of  Mr. 
Arnold  Halbach,  and  his  brother.  The  former  had  the  kindness 
to  attend  me  in  several  of  my  excursions,  as  far  as  his  extensive 
business  would  allow.  He  is  a  patron  of  the  fine  arts,  and  as 
such,  took  me  to  two  painters  of  this  place,  Eicholz  and  Birch. 
The  former,  from  Lancaster,  is  the  son  of  a  coppersmith,  in  which 
occupation  he  himself  worked,  but  having  a  talent  for  portrait 
painting,  he  has  devoted  himself  thereto  with  much  success.  His 
portraits  have  the  merit  of  strong  resemblance,  and  are  also  to 
lerably  well,  and  correctly  painted.  The  other  artist,  Birch, 
possesses  a  very  fine  talent  for  landscape  painting,  and  particu 
larly  for  sea-pieces.  I  had  hoped  to  meet  with  views  of  the 
United  States  at  his  house,  but  was  disappointed.  Mr.  Birch  told 
me  that  landscape  painters  found  so  little  encouragement  in  the 
United  States,  that  they  lost  all  courage  to  design  handsome  scenes 
in  their  native  country.  His  sea-pieces  are  very  handsome,  but 
none  are  entirely  completed.  He  is  particularly  happy  in  repre 
senting  storms.  Whilst  Mr.  Eicholz,  with  moderate  talents,  does 
much  business,  Mr.  Birch,  with  great  talent,  is  often  a  prey  to 
severe  distress.* 

I  saw  at  the  house  of  a  dealer  in  looking-glasses,  a  gallery  of 
pieces  by  living  painters,  among  others,  of  Sully.  One  of  these 
paintings  is  really  terrific.  It  represents  a  man,  who,  with  his 
horse,  is  attacked  and  entwined  by  an  anaconda.  The  expression 
of  pain  in  the  horse  is  very  well  represented,  but  the  countenance 
of  the  man,  as  well  as  the  whole  subject,  is  horrid.  Few  of  the 
paintings  were  very  remarkable ;  I  was  most  pleased  with  one  by 

*  [The  reason  is,  that  the  portrait  painter  ministers  to  the  gratification  of  per 
sonal  vanity,  or  self-love,  and  the  landscape  painter  to  a  refined  taste.  As  the 
proportion  of  egotists  to  men  of  refined  and  cultivated  taste,  is  somewhat  less 
than  a  million  to  one,  it  is  easy  to  see  which  branch  of  the  arts  will  receive  most 
attention .] — TR  AKS  . 


182 

Birch:  a  boat  in  a  storm,  in  which  the  crew  were  saving  them 
selves  from  a  wreck. 

I  inquired,  in  company  with  Mr.  Niederstetter,  after  maps, 
but  the  result  was  not  very  satisfactory.     It  is  very  difficult  to 
.  furnish  maps  of  the  United  States,  as  they  have  not  yet  been  tri- 
gonometrically  surveyed,  and  the  only  astronomical  designation 
of  places  and  maps  are  founded  on  common  surveys.     At  a  din 
ner  given  by  General  Cadwalader,  commander  of  the  Philadelphia 
militia,  and  one  of  the  most  distinguished  citizens,  among  other 
new  acquaintances,  I  made  also  that  of  General  Harrison,  of  Cin 
cinnati,  senator  of  the  United  States.     He  had  been  a  general  in 
the  army  during  the  last  war,  and  defeated  the  English  General 
Proctor,  on  the  boundaries  of  Canada,  on  which  occasion,  the 
celebrated  Indian  chief,  Tecumseh  lost  his  life.    But  the  general, 
.  to  the  great  regret  and  disadvantage  of  the  army,  resigned,  on 
account  of  a  dispute  with  the  then  secretary  of  war,  Armstrong. 

At  a  party,  which  consisted  of  perhaps  thirty  persons,  I  was 
much  questioned  about  my  journey,  and  particularly  about  my 
stay  at  New  Harmony.  Mr.  Owen's  system  does  not  meet  with 
much  favour  here,  and  it  is  not  thought  that  his  society  will  last 
long.  Much  offence  is  taken  at  its  irreligious  principles,  and 
much  surprise  is  manifested,  that  Mr.  M'Clure,  as  an  old,  learned 
and  sensible  man,  should  have  been  so  captivated  by  this  new 
system,  as  to  declare  in  a  meeting  of  a  learned  society,  when  a 
proposition  was  made  to  buy  a  new  building,  that  they  should 
only  wait  a  couple  of  years,  till  this  new  social  system  should  be 
extended  over  the  country,  as  land  would  then  be  so  cheap  in  the 
cities,  that  it  might  be  purchased  almost  for  nothing. 

I  must  not  neglect  to  mention  a  little  present  from  Mr.  Vaux. 
It  is  a  snuff-box,  made  of  the  wood  of  the  elm  tree  at  Kensington,* 
under  which  William  Penn  made  the  treaty  of  1682,  with  the 
Indians.  It  is  very  simple,  and  decorated  merely  with  a  silver 
medal,  on  which  is  inscribed  "Penn's  treaty,  1682,"  and  below, 
"  unbroken  faith." 

*  Kensington  was  formerly  a  distinct  village,  on  the  Delaware  above  Phila 
delphia;  the  city  has  now  extended  thus  far,  so  that  it  now  belongs  to  the  city. 
The  tree  was  some  years  ago  struck  by  lightning  and  destroyed. 


183 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

Journey  from  Philadelphia    to  New  York. — Coal-mines  of 
Pottsville  and  Mauch  Chunk. — Bethlehem. 

\  LEFT  Philadelphia,  June  3d,  at  four  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
to  see  the  coal-mines  beyond  the  Blue  Mountains,  and  then  pay 
another  visit  to  my  friends  in  Bethlehem;  after  which,  I  must 
repair  to  New  York,  as  to  my  great  sorrow,  the  time  for  my  em 
barkation  approached.  I  rode  fifty -two  miles  in  a  mail  stage  to  « 
Reading.  Notwithstanding  a  gust  on  the  previous  evening,  it 
was  again  very  warm,  and  on  the  latter  part  of  the  journey  par 
ticularly,  we  were  much  incommoded  by  dust. 

At  first  we  took  the  same  way,  which  I  had  taken  last  au 
tumn  to  Bethlehem,  through  Suriville,  Germantown,  and  Chesnut 
Hill.  The  present  appearance  of  the  country  was  very  differ 
ent  from  its  aspect  at  that  rough  season  of  the  year.  Every 
thing  was  now  alive  and  green,  and  the  numerous  and  elegant 
gardens  of  Germantown,  were  filled  with  the  beautiful  flowers. 
Although  this  place  is  three  miles  long,  it  presents  no  tedious 
uniformity.  The  various  country-seats  of  the  wealthy  inhabit-  • 
ants  of  Philadelphia,  which  are  tolerably  close  to  each  other, 
rather  present  an  agreeable  change.  Chesnut  Hill  affords  a  very 
extensive  view  over  the  surrounding  handsome  and  thickly  in 
habited  country.  The  valley  of  the  Schuylkill  appeared  to  par 
ticularly  great  advantage,  which  by  means  of  dams  and  canals, 
made  near  shallow  places,  is  navigable  till  beyond  the  Blue 
Mountains.  Beyond  Chesnut  Hill,  we  left  the  above-mentioned 
road  and  turned  on  the  left  to  Norristown,  a  very  romantic  place 
on  the  left  side  of  the  Schuylkill.  Before  reaching  this,  we 
passed  extensive  marble  quarries,  which  are  about  one  hundred 
feet  deep,  and  form  very  picturesque  hollows.  The  blocks  are 
raised  by  means  of  machines,  worked  by  horses.  This  marble 
is  gray,  and  is  used  in  the  fire-places  of  most  of  the  respectable 
houses  in  Philadelphia.  Several  of  the  mile-stones  on  our  road 
were  also  made  of  this  marble.  The  cuttings  are  partly  burned  to 
lime  and  partly  thrown  on  the  turnpike.  The  turnpike,  as  an 
American  one,  was  on  this  route  tolerably  good. 

Beyond  Norristown  we  again  rode  through  a  very  handsome 
country.  Between  Chesnut  Hill  and  the  marble  quarries,  we 
passed  a  good  stone  bridge  over  the  Wissahiccon  creek,  which 
turns  many  mills.  Between  Norristown  and  Trap,  a  small  place 


184 

through  which  the  road  runs,  we  passed  two  other  creeks,  the 
Skippar  and  Perkiomen  creeks,  and  at  Pottsgrove,  over  a  third, 
called  Monataway  creek,  which  here  empties  into  the  Schuylkill. 
The  road  then  went  over  a  hilly  country  through  Warrensburg 
and  Exertown,  and  over  the  Mannokesy  and  Rush  creeks.  At 
last  we  saw  Reading,  in  a  lovely  valley.  It  had  a  military  aspect, 
as  a  company  of  volunteers  had  held  a  review  to-day,  and  were 
recreating  themselves  at  a  tavern  near  the  town,  after  their  toils. 
At  five  o'clock  we  reached  Trautman's  tavern,  where  we  found 
good  lodgings. 

Reading  contains  about  five  thousand  inhabitants;  it  consists  of 
a  long  principal  street,  which  is  very  wide,  in  the  middle,  and 
of  several  other  streets,  which  cross  it  at  right  angles.  The  place 
depends  on  agriculture  and  some  manufactories.  Many  hats,  es 
pecially  felt  hats,  are  made  here,  which  are  sent  in  great  num 
bers  to  the  slave  states  and  the  West  Indies.  I  here  visited  Mr. 
Hiester,  former  governor  of  Pennsylvania.  This  worthy  old  man 
bears  his  age,  which  is  seventy-four  years,  remarkably  well.  He 
took  me  to  his  son-in-law,  Dr.  Muhlenberg,  the  German  Lu 
theran  minister  of  this  place,  son  of  the  celebrated  naturalist  and 
learned  man  of  this  name,  who  died  about  ten  years  ago.  We 
took  tea  at  his  house,  and  then  walked  to  the  Schuylkill,  over 
which  a  covered  wooden  bridge  led.  We  saw  also  a  part  of  the 
canal,  on  which  coal  is  brought  to  Philadelphia  from  the  upper 
parts  of  the  Schuylkill.  Here  at  Reading,  this  canal  ascends  four 
locks,  which  appear  to  be  built  in  a  tolerably  solid  manner.  It 
made  a  strange  impression  on  me  to  hear  every  person  speak 
German.  On  the  road  from  Philadelphia,  I  had  every  where 
heard  this  language;  but  in  Reading  scarcely  any  thing  else  than 
German  is  spoken,  and  better  than  I  had  heard  in  the  state  of 
Ohio,  or  in  Lancaster.  Reading  possesses  a  good  German  school 
under  Dr.  Muhlenberg's  direction,  in  which  this  language  is  taught 
in  its  purity.  He  himself  has  a  numerous  and  selected  library  of 
English  and  German  books.  Two  canal  boats  run  at  present  al 
ternately  every  week  between  Philadelphia  and  Reading,  in 
which  about  one  hundred  travellers  may  be  accommodated.  They 
leave  the  one  place  at  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  reach  the 
other  about  five  o'clock  in  the  evening. 

I  hired  at  Reading  a  carriage  with  two  horses,  for  three  dollars 
a  day,  in  order  to  visit  the  coal-mines  beyond  the  Blue  Moun 
tains.  I  left  Reading  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  rode 
thirty-six  miles  to  Pottsville.  We  passed  over  a  turnpike,  which 
was  occasionally  very  rough.  It  several  times  led  us  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  canal,  the  surface  of  which  is  about  thirty 
feet  wide  on  an  average.  It  is  lead  by  means  of  wooden  boxes 
over  several  deep  streams.  Between  Reading  and  Pottsville 


185 

there  are  about  eighty  locks,  several  of  which  we  passed;  at  one 
time  I  saw  seven  together,  which  formed  a  very  pleasing  sight. 
About  noon  we  reached  a  little  German  place,  called  Ham 
burg,  half  way  to  Pottsville,  at  the  foot  of  the  Blue  Mountains, 
not  far  from  the  Schuylkill  and  its  canals.  On  the  road  to  Ham 
burg,  we  passed  but  one  creek  which  had  a  name,  Maiden  creek. 
I  dined  at  Hamburg,  and  met,  as  it  was  Sunday,  a  number  of 
idlers,  all  Germans,  assembled  in  the  tavern.  Several  Germans 
of  education  in  the  United  States,  made  the  remark  to  me,  which 
I  found  but  too  true,  that  next  to  the  Irish,  the  Germans  form 
the  roughest  portion  of  the  emigrants.  The  truth  of  this  remark 
again  forced  itself  on  my  attention  in  Hamburg,  and  especially 
in  the  case  of  a  young  doctor,  who  had  formerly  studied  in  se 
veral  German  universities,  and  gave  vent  to  his  giddiness  in  a 
vulgar  manner.  It  was  the  first  time  in  the  United  States  that 
the  affectation  of  republicanism  arrested  my  attention. 

Not  far  beyond  Hamburg,  we  came  to  a  defile  where  the  Schuyl 
kill  forces  a  passage  through  the  Blue  Mountains.  This  narrow 
vale  was  very  romantic,  and  my  interest  in  the  scene  was  great 
ly  increased  by  the  numberless  blooming  kalmias,  improperly 
called  laurel,  the  rhododendra,  which  offered  a  splendid  sight 
amidst  the  rich  vegetation  of  chesnut  trees,  butternuts,  oaks, 
elms,  sycamores,  blooming  tulip-trees,  and  sumacs.  How  fre 
quently  I  thought  of  the  great  pleasure  which  my  father  would 
enjoy,  if  he  could  travel  with  me  among  these  mountains,  and 
admire  the  treasures  of  the  vegetable  world  with  his  experienced 
eye!  The  way  led  along  a  mountain  over  the  Schuylkill,  which 
lay  deep  below  me.  It  forms  here  a  curve,  and  is  made  naviga 
ble  by  means  of  dams,  as  there  was  too  little  room  to  continue 
the  canal  on  the  side  of  it.  After  we  had  passed  the  chief  defile 
of  the  Blue  Mountains,  we  left  for  a  time  the  navigable  Schuylkill 
with  its  canal,  and  passed  through  a  narrow  vale,  through  which 
the  little  Schuylkill  flows,  which  is  covered  with  kalmias,  rhodo 
dendrons,  and  some  azaleas.  Afterwards  came  another  vale, 
formed  by  Scrub  Hill  and  Scollop  Hill;  then  a  long  mountain, 
called  Limestone  Ridge.  Beyond  this  mountain  we  reached 
Orwigsburg,  which,  entirely  enclosed  by  mountains,  occupies  a 
romantic  situation;  it  is  built  in  the  form  of  a  cross,  and  contains 
about  eight  hundred  inhabitants.  We  rode  farther,  through  a 
valley  covered  with  trees,  again  reached  the  Schuylkill  with  its 
canal,  and  at  length  arrived  at  Pottsville. 

This  place  is  scarcely  to  be  found  in  any  map,  as  it  arose  but 
three  or  four  years  ago,  and  owes  its  existence  to  the  neighbour 
ing  coal-mines.  The  navigation  of  the  Schuylkill  commences  * 
here;  this  is  the  place  where  the  vessels  which  navigate  tb's  canal 
and  river,  small  keel-boats,  are  built.  A  couple  of  saw-mills  are 
VOL.  II.  24 


186 

treated  for  this  purpose,  as  well  as  a  high  furnace,  in  which  the 
iron  ore  found  in  the  neighbourhood  is  smelted.  The  coal-mines 
are  worked  under  the  direction  of  the  Schuylkill  Coal  Company, 
which  has  made  the  Schuylkill  navigable  at  its  own  expense,  in 
order  to  transport  the  coal  to  Philadelphia  and  New  York.  A 
bushel  of  coal,  weighing  eighty  pounds,  is  sold  at  Philadelphia 
for  twenty-five  cents.  The  river  was  made  navigable  only  about 
eighteen  months  ago,  and  it  is  only  since  this  time,  that  they  have 
commenced  to  dig  out  coal. 

Pottsville  consists  of  a  single  street,  lying  in  a  somewhat  narrow 
vale  on  the  right  shore  of  the  Schuylkill,  and  owes  its  name  to  a 
Mr.  Pott,  who  commenced  the  first  iron  works.  The  entrances 
of  two  coal-mines  are  seen  on  the  shore  opposite  the  place;  there 
are  some  which,  however,  are  not  worked  on  account  of  scarcity 
of  labourers.  I  became  acquainted  in  our  tavern  with  a  Mr.  Baker 
from  New  York,  who  is  one  of  the  chief  men  in  this  undertaking, 
as  well  as  with  a  Mr.  Taylor,  editor  of  the  paper  called  the  Miner's 
Journal,  which  bears  a  good  character. 

I  rode  with  these  two  gentlemen  to  the  coal-mines,  two  miles 
and  a  half  from  Pottsville,  and  not  far  from  Norwegian  creek. 
The  coal  appears  almost  on  the  surface  of  the  ground,  in  which 
a  certain  dark  colour  denotes  its  presence.  No  one  thoroughly 
understands  the  business  of  coal-mining,  and  therefore  it  has 
hitherto  been  conducted  in  a  very  unsystematic  and  expensive 
manner.  Shafts  are  made  wherever  it  is  thought  that  coal  would 
be  found,  and  when  a  vein  is  discovered  it  is  worked.  The  veins 
run  from  east  to  west,  and  then  descend  in  a  southern  direction 
at  an  angle  of  forty -five  degrees;  between  the  veins,  slate  is  com 
monly  found  about  twelve  feet  thick.  Under  the  lower  layer  of 
slate,  coals  have  been  again  discovered  by  boring,  but  have  not 
yet  been  farther  worked.  The  shafts  are  not  much  above  twenty 
feet  deep;  the  coals  are  brought  up  in  buckets  by  means  of  two 
windlasses;  at  one  place  machinery  worked  by  a  horse  is  em 
ployed  for  this  purpose.  One  shaft  contains  water,  which,  as  the 
pumps  are  not  yet  in  order,  must  be  drawn  out  in  buckets  in  a 
very  tedious  and  expensive  manner.  The  coal  is  of  a  superior 
quality,  burns  very  well,  and  contains  no  sulphur.  About  fifty 
men  work  in  the  mines,  each  of  which  on  an  average  receives 
monthly  fifteen  dollars.  Hitherto  the  society  has  employed  thirty 
vessels  to  transport  the  coals  to  Philadelphia.  They  are  brought 
from  the  mines  in  large  wagons  to  the  head  of  the  navigation, 
and  are  weighed  before  unloading.  A  profit  of  a  certain  amount 
is  expected  to  arise  from  the  working  of  these  mines,  which, 
however,  will  only  be  properly  calculated,  when  the  mines  are 
worked  more  systematically.  They  design  to  connect  the  works 
with  the  river,  which  certainly  would  be  a  considerable  saving, 


187 

by  means  of  a  rail-road.  A  mountain,  which  runs  parallel  with 
that  containing  the  mines,  and  which  is  yet  covered  with  trees, 
is  also  said  to  contain  great  quantities  of  coal,  but  has  not  yet 
been  worked. 

After  this  fatiguing  excursion,  as  I  had  seen  most  of  the  mines, 
I  left  Pottsville  on  the  5th  of  June,  and  rode  forty  miles  to 
Mauch  Chunk  at  the  junction  of  a  creek  of  this  name  with  the 
Lehigh.  After  passing  Orwigsburg  we  turned  to  the  left  towards 
M'Keansburg,  through  a  woody  valley  not  well  settled,  and  this 
only  near  Pine  creek.  M'Keansburg  is  a  small  place,  and  lies 
on  an  eminence,  which  affords  a  prospect  of  a  romantic  valley, 
through  which  Little  Schuylkill  flows.  M'Keansburg  adjoins  on 
one  side  a  wood  swarming  with  locusts,  which  made  so  much 
noise  that  they  might  be  heard  at  a  great  distance.  These  locusts 
are  seldom  seen,  and  their  present  appearance  is  ascribed  to  the 
uncommonly  dry  spring.  I  walked  among  the  trees,  and  found 
under  the  stones  several  crystallizations;  I  found  among  others, 
a  stone  perfectly  resembling  a  petrified  bird's  head  with  the  beak. 
Many  vegetable  petrifactions,  such  as  fern  and  leaves  of  the 
kalmia,  are  found  in  the  slate  between  the  veins  of  coal.  I  was 
told  that  the  impression  of  a  whole  collection  of  snakes  was 
found  in  a  cavity  in  the  slate,  and  that  the  impressions  of  the 
heads,  particularly,  were  very  distinct. 

After  leaving  M'Keansburg  we  passed  valleys  and  mountains, 
and  reached,  in  this  manner,  the  narrow  and  romantic  valley  of 
the  Lehigh,  by  a  very  steep  road.  Lehighton,  which  lies  at  a 
junction  of  Mahoning  creek  and  the  Lehigh,  consists  of  but  few 
houses,  and  is  supported  in  a  miserable  manner;  because  the 
land  is  too  hilly  and  rough  for  cultivation,  and  the  industrious 
village  of  Mauch  Chunk,  which  is  but  three  miles  distant,  with 
draws  from  it  all  support.  The  country,  however  rough  and  un 
productive  as  it  may  be  for  those  who  wish  to  live  here,  would 
afford  a  particular  enjoyment  to  a  botanist,  and  a  lover  of  his 
science,  by  its  rich  and  blooming  vegetable  productions. 

It  began  to  grow  dark  when  we  reached  Lehighton,  I  never 
theless  continued  on  the  road;  this  grew  narrow,  was  partly  cut 
out  of  the  rock,  and  closely  approached  the  right  shore  of  the  Le 
high  as  far  as  Mauch  Chunk,  which  we  reached  after  dark,  and 
in  a  storm.  I  took  lodging  in  the  only  inn,  which,  however,  is 
very  good  and  respectable,  and  kept  by  a  quaker,  Mr.  Atherton. 
The  place  has  only  existed  four  years,  and  owes  its  origin  to  the 
neighbouring  mines,  which,  with  all  the  surrounding  country, 
belongs  to  the  Lehigh  Coal  Company;  a  company  which  possesses 
a  large  capital,  has  existed  longer  than  its  rival  in  Pottsville,  and 
conducts  its  operations  more  systematically.  One  of  the  most 


188 

important  stockholders  is  a  quaker,  Mr.  White,  who  lives  here, 
and  has  properly  created  every  thing,  and  directs  every  thing 
himself.  He  visited  me  the  same  evening,  and  appeared  to  be  a 
plain  Friend,  who  however  has  reflected  much  on  the  good  of 
mankind,  and  speaks  very  well. 

On  the  next  morning  Mr.  White  took  me  about  the  place;  it 
lies  in  a  very  narrow  vale  surrounded  with  high  mountains, 
which  rise  out  of  the  Lehigh  and  are  covered  with  trees.  The 
company  has  made  the  Lehigh  navigable,  or  rather  is  at  present 
engaged  in  this  work,  by  means  of  dams,  locks  and  canals,  in  order 
to  transport  the  coal  to  Philadelphia  with  ease  and  cheapness. 

The  canal,  in  which  two  locks  stand  at  a  distance  of  one  hun 
dred  and  thirty  feet  from  each  other,  is  thirty  feet  wide  between 
the  locks,  the  sides  of  which  are  covered  with  planks;  behind 
this  covering  a  wall  has  been  erected,  the  crevices  of  which  are 
filled  with  a  liquid  mortar.  Mr.  White  calculates,  that  the  co 
vering  of  wood  will  last  about  thirty  years,  and  that  during  this 
time,  the  wall  will  unite  with  the  mortar  and  form  a  kind  of  rock. 
Neither  the  locks,  nor  the  canal  were  finished,  so  that  there  was 
as  yet  but  a  temporary  navigation.  The  coal  is  put  into  flat  boats 
six  feet  wide  and  ten  feet  long;  these  are  attached,  two  together 
and  five  behind  each  other,  so  that  a  kind  of  raft  of  ten  boats,  or 
rather  a  box  is  formed.  When  this  raft  arrives  at  Philadelphia, 
and  the  coal  unloaded,  these  boats  are  taken  to  pieces,  the  boards 
sold,  and  all  the  iron  which  was  in  them,  brought  back  to  Mauch 
Chunk  in  carts.  Two  saw-mills  are  in  constant  operation  for  the 
building  of  these  boats,  the  timber  is  previously  cut  in  form,  so 
that  practised  workmen  may  nail  together  such  a  boat  in  an  hour. 
But  as  soon  as  the  canal  and  the  locks  are  finished,  even  this  navi 
gation  so  expensive  and  destructive  to  the  wood,  will  cease,  and 
coal  be  transported  in  steam-boats,  which  will  pass  up  and  down 
the  river  and  canal.  The  banks  of  the  canal  are  covered  with 
stones,  or  rather  formally  paved,  so  that  they  may  not  suffer 
from  the  action  of  the  wheels.  The  coal  is  taken  from  the  mine 
in  wagons  to  the  place  where  it  is  put  into  boats,  and  there  weigh 
ed.  After  this  the  carts  move  upon  a  disk  which  turns,  where 
the  horses  are  quickly  unharnessed.  The  carts  are  then  raised 
by  means  of  a  machine,  worked  by  a  horse,  and  when  they  have 
attained  a  certain  height,  are  brought  in  an  oblique  position,  so 
that  the  coals  fall  out  into  a  kind  of  enclosure,  where  they  re 
main  till  wanted;  the  boats  are  loaded  by  means  of  moveable 
broad  iron  gutters,  which  are  elevated  or  depressed  according  to 

'  height  of  the  water.     Grates  are  put  in  this  gutter,  so  that 
coals  which  are  too  small,  and  the  dust,  fall  through,  and 
merely  the  larger  pieces  fall  into  the  vessel.    ' 


189 

Considerable  quantities  of  iron  ore  are  found  near  Mauch 
Chunk,  in  a  sandy  state,  and  near  the  surface  of  the  earth,  which 
is  melted  in  furnaces,  erected  for  this  purpose.  But  they  have 
not  yet  succeeded  in  doing  this  by  means  of  stone  coal,  and  are 
obliged  to  use  charcoal.  This  iron  is  used  to  make  rail-roads,  • 
which  lead  to  the  most  important  coal-mine,  nine  miles  distant. 
They  will  facilitate  the  transportation  of  the  coal  to  the  water 
in  a  very  great  degree,  and  make  this  at  least  three-fourths 
cheaper.  Iron  carts  are  to  be  used  on  this  rail-road.  Its  ascent 
to  the  mine  amounts  to  one  foot  in  a  hundred ;  the  empty  carts 
are  to  be  drawn  up  by  horses,  each  of  which  draws  four  at  the 
rate  of  three  miles  an  hour ;  when  they  are  loaded,  they  are  car 
ried  to  the  river  by  their  own  weight,  and  make  the  passage  in 
less  than  an  hour.  When  they  reach  a  certain  point  not  far  from 
the  river,  they  are  sent  down  an  inclined  plane,  at  an  angle  of 
forty-five  degrees,  and  by  means  of  machinery  yet  to  be  attach 
ed,  they  draw  the  empty  carts  by  their  weight  up  this  plane. 

A  very  good  turnpike,  now  leads  to  this  important  mine,  nine  • 
miles  from  Mauch  Chunk,  along  the  romantic  valley  of  the  same 
name,  which  ascends  but  two  feet  in  a  hundred,  so  that  we  could 
trot  the  whole  way.  I  went  in  company  with  Mr.  White.  The 
mountain  is  imperceptibly  ascended,  and  it  occasions  surprise, 
when,  after  a  ride  of  eight  miles,  the  woods,  which  cover  the 
mountains  are  left,  to  see  Mauch  Chunk  creek,  whose  shore  has 
apparently  just  been  left,  rushing  deep  below,  and  at  the  top  of 
the  mountain  to  find  oneself  in  a  coal-mine.  It  is  a  highly 
interesting  sight,  and  alone  worth  a  passage  across  the  ocean. 
The  coal  does  not  here  run  in  veins,  but  the  whole  mountain 
consists  of  a  solid  mass  of  coal,  covered  with  a  layer  of  clay  at 
most  a  foot  thick.  The  earth  assumes  a  dark  colour  six  inches 
below  the  surface;  coal  dust  a  foot  and  a  half  thick,  is  found  at 
the  depth  of  one  foot,  then  comes  the  coal  in  small  pieces,  which 
are  not  used,  but  at  a  foot  deeper  the  solid  coal  begins,  which  is 
broken  off  and  sold.  They  have  hitherto  bored  to  the  depth  of 
sixty  feet,  and  found  nothing  but  the  purest  coal;  they  have 
however,  dug  but  forty  feet  deep,  and  prefer  working  horizon 
tally  rather  than  perpendicularly.  Except  some  veins  of  slate, 
which  as  solid  rocks  are  not  more  than  two  feet  thick,  no  hetero 
geneous  substances  are  found  among  the  coal.  This  is  entirely 
black,  and  only  those  parts  which  are  more  or  less  exposed  to  the 
weather,  are  iridescent. 

These  mines,  which  are  not  subterraneous,  occupy  at  present  a 
space  of  nearly  four  acres.  An  iron  wedge  forced  by  a  hammer 
is  used  to  break  the  coal.  The  stratum  of  coal  is  partly  horizon 
tal  and  partly  at  an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees;  it  seems  as  if  it 


190 

had  been'  once  elevated  and  broken  by  a  subterraneous  power. 
The  workmen  are  paid  daily,  gain  about  eighteen  dollars  a  month, 
and  occupy  several  houses  not  far  from  the  mine.  They  have 
dug  a  well  in  the  stratum  of  coal,  which  furnishes  pure  and  good 
.drinking  water. 

We  rode  back  to  Mauch  Chunk  on  the  excellent  road,  made 
altogether  on  account  of  the  mine.  There  is  a  place  on  the  road 
where  iron  sand  is  dug,  and  whence  runs  a  chalybeate  spring, 
which  leaves  settlings  of  ochre.  Two  miles  from  Mauch  Chunk 
we  ascended  the  hill,  on  the  other  side  of  which,  again  quanti 
ties  of  coal  are  found.  It  is,  however,  very  difficult  to  reach  the 
layer  on  this  high  and  steep  hill,  and  the  transportation  of  coals 
thence  to  Mauch  Chunk  would  be  attended  with  great  inconve 
nience  and  expense.  To  obviate  this,  the  company  is  cutting 
through  the  hill  at  a  certain  height,  a  tunnel  in  the  rock,  by 
which  means  the  stratum  may,  to  use  the  expression,  be  reached 
by  the  rear,  and  the  conveyance  of  the  coals  be  much  facilitated. 
This  tunnel  is  to  be  ten  feet  high  and  fifteen  wide,  with  a  rail-road 
in  the  middle.  They  have  cut  through  two  hundred  feet  already, 
and  have  yet  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  to  work,  before  they 
reach  the  coal.  This  labour  is  fatiguing  and  tedious;  twelve  men 
work  day  and  night.  They  blast  the  rocks  with  powder,  and  ad 
vance  but  one  foot  in  twenty-four  hours. 

In  the  valley  of  Mauch  Chunk  creek,  along  the  road,  two  fur 
naces  are  erected  in  order  to  cast  the  pieces  necessary  for  the 
rail-road,  to  avoid  their  transportation  and  to  accelerate  the  work 
on  the  road.  Two  saw-mills  have  also  been  built  in  this  valley, 
but  the  water  in  the  creek  is  generally  too  low  to  depend  much 
on  their  assistance  in  such  works.  The  company  employs  about 
one  thousand  eight  hundred  workmen,  who  live  partly  near  the 
mine,  but  generally  in  small  houses  in  the  place  belonging  to  the 
company.  Their  habitations  form  a  street  along  Mauch  Chunk 
creek,  nearly  half  a  mile  long.  A  great  number  of  them  are  mar 
ried  and  have  their  families  with  them.  The  company  has  given 
them  a  clergyman,  and  a  school  with  a  good  teacher,  to  instruct 
their  children.  A  massive  mill  is  also  erected  near  the  creek, 
in  which  all  the  flour  necessary  for  the  place  is  ground;  the  coun 
try  is  too  rough  for  culture;  the  company  exchanges  in  a  very 
profitable  manner  coal  for  grain.  Meadows  have,  however, 
been  laid  out  in  the  valley,  in  order  to  gain  the  necessary  hay 
for  one  hundred  and  twenty  horses,  which  daily  work  here, 
The  creek  also  works  bellows,  by  means  of  which  the  necessary 
draft  of  air  is  preserved  in  the  furnaces  and  in  the  forges. 
•  A  store  belonging  to  the  society,  and  furnished  with  all  the  ne- 
essary  articles,  is  also  kept  here.  In  this  the  workmen  and 


191 

their  families  receive  the  necessary  articles,  the  price  of  which  is 
deducted  from  their  wages.  Every  workman  has  his  leaf  in  a  large 
book,  wherein  his  account  stands,  and  besides  a  small  pass-book, 
wherein  a  copy  of  his  account  is  written.  Every  month,  or  if  the 
workman  prefers  oftener,  a  settlement  is  made,  and  he  receives  a 
note  on  the  treasurer  for  the  money  owing  to  him,  unless  he 
wishes  it  to  remain  in  the  treasurer's  hands.  The  company  makes 
a  great  profit  in  this  manner,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  money 
expended  flows  back  again  into  its  treasury.  The  ground  three 
miles  up  and  down  the  Lehigh,  belongs  to  the  company,  so  that 
no  one  can  dispute  with  them  the  monopoly  of  keeping  a  store. 
If  other  companies  should  be  formed  to  dig  coals  in  the  mountains 
above  Mauch  Chunk,  where  great  quantities  are  said  to  be  found, 
they  could  not  gain  much,  as  this  society  has  taken  possession  of 
the  only  outlet,  the  Lehigh,  and  on  account  of  the  locks  could 
lay  many  difficulties  in  the  way  with  regard  to  the  transportation 
of  other  coal. 

I  visited  Mr.  White  in  his  tasteful  house  on  the  declivity  of 
a  mountain,  whence  he  may  see  the  whole  of  Mauch  Chunk. 
He  has  a  park  behind  his  house,  with  tame  game,  which  eat 
out  of  his  hands.  They  consist  of  two  stags  and  a  female  elk 
and  her  young  one,  which  is  already  nearly  as  large  and  strong 
as  a  horse.  They  were  obliged  to  shoot  the  male  elk  last 
autumn,  as  he  attacked  Mr.  White  and  gave  him  eight  wounds 
in  the  legs,  with  his  horns,  which  confined  the  poor  man  about  a 
month  to  his  bed.  The  assistant  of  Mr.  White  ran  to  aid  him,  but 
received  some  wounds  himself  in  the  body,  and  would  have  been 
killed  by  the  furious  animal,  if,  at  the  cry  of  the  two  unfortunate 
men,  a  number  of  people  had  not  hastened  with  poles  and  clubs 
to  relieve  them. 

At  five  o'clock  in  the  evening,  I  left  the  interesting  Mauch 
Chunk  and  went  sixteen  miles  on  the  road  to  Bethlehem,  as  far 
as  Cherryville.  At  Lehighton  I  took  the  left  shore  of  the  Lehigh 
passing  two  small  creeks,  Big  creek  and  Aquanshicola  creek,  and 
at  last,  (for  the  fifth  time,)  the  Blue  Mountains,  through  Lehigh 
Water  Gap.  This  country  must  be  very  handsome,  and  it  was. 
with  regret  that  I  saw  so  little  of  it,  but  it  began  to  grow  dark, 
was  very  rainy  weather,  and  thick  clouds  covered  the  Blue  Moun 
tains.  Two  miles  from  Water  Gap  we  passed  through  a  small 
place  called  Berlinville,  and  were  yet  two  miles  distant  from 
Cherryville.  In  the  darkness  we  could  not  see  the  posts  which 
stand  wherever  roads  cross,  and  there  was  no  turnpike.  We  ac 
cordingly  lost  our  way,  and  at  a  cross  road  knew  not  which  direc 
tion  to  take.  We  ran  about  in  the  rain  and  the  darkness,  but 
found  nothing  which  could  have  directed  us.  At  last  we  took  a 
road  at  random,  fortunately  the  right  one!  But  it  was  midnight 


192 

More  we  reached  Cherry ville,  where  we  found  lodgings  in  a 
very  good  tavern.  This  whole  country  is  inhabited  by  Germans, 
and  the  German  language  is  the  only  one  spoken. 

Cherryville  consists  of  but  few  houses,  has,  however,  an  open 
and  handsome  situation,  and  the  roads  in  the  vicinity  are  planted 
with  handsome  and  large  cherry  trees,  whence  the  name  of  the 
place.  I  left  this  place,  June  7th,  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morn 
ing,  and  rode  fourteen  miles  to  much-esteemed  Bethlehem.  We 
passed  through  two  small  places,  Kreiderville  and  Howardtown, 
and  through  a  well-cultivated  country;  the  grain  and  fruit,  how 
ever,  were  suffering  much  from  the  drought,  and  beyond  How 
ardtown  we  rode  in  a  thick  cloud  of  dust.  I  was  uncommonly 
pleased,  and  felt  quite  at  home,  when,  on  leaving  the  woods,  I 
saw  the  friendly  Bethlehem  before  me.  But  it  was  quite  differ 
ent  from  what  it  was  last  autumn;  it  was  then  cold,  and  the  trees 
beginning  to  lose  their  leaves;  now  summer  had  given  every  thing 
new  life. 

At  Bethlehem  I  went  to  my  old  quarters  at  Bishop's  tavern, 
and  soon  after  my  arrival  visited  the  worthy  Mr.  Frueauf.  He 
was  the  more  pleased  with  my  visij;,  as  no  one  in  Bethlehem 
believed  that  I  would  fulfil  my  promise  of  returning,  except 
himself.  He  took  me  to  his  brother-in-law,  the  Reverend  Mr. 
von  Schweinitz,  who,  at  the  very  time  I  was  at  Bethlehem 
last  autumn,  had  visited  my  father  in  Weimar,  and  spoken  with 
my  wife.  Mr.  von  Schweinitz  is  on  the  mother's  side  a  great 
grandson  of  Count  von  Zinzeridorf,  and  the  brother  of  a  deceas 
ed  Lieutenant  von  Schweinitz,  with  whom  I  had  been  in  early 
years  in  a  company  of  the  Saxon  Guards.  He  is  a  very  agree 
able  man,  who  unites  a  polished  education  with  an  excellent 
character.  At  dinner  I  met  with  pleasure  with  the  old  Dr.  Stickel. 
After  dinner  I  walked  with  Mr.  Frueauf  and  Mr.  von  Schweinitz, 
across  Lehigh  bridge,  to  a  promenade  along  the  river,  leading  to 
a  semicircular  place.  Benches  were  placed  here,  and  a  spring  was 
overarched  to  keep  wine,  &c.  cool.  We  then  went  below  the  gar 
den  of  the  girl's  school  to  the  mill  of  the  congregation,  where  there 
is  also  a  place  under  a  handsome  linden  tree,  affording  a  very  pleas 
ing  view  into  the  vale.  But  Mr.  von  Schweinitz  was  unfortunately 
obliged  to  leave  here  this  afternoon  on  business  of  the  society, 
and  I  could  enjoy  his  extremely  agreeable  acquaintance  but  for  a 
short  time. 

I  now  visited  Bishop  Hueffel  and  the  Rev.  Mr.  Seidcl.  I  went 
again  with  the  latter  to  the  girl's  school,  and  again  admired  the 
great  order  which  reigns  there,  and  the  handsome  and  fine  work 
of  the  girls.  In  the  evening  I  was  present  at  service  in  the 
church;  but  it  was  not  well  attended,  and  consisted  merely  in 
vsinging  several  hymns,  which  Mr.  Seidel  sang,  accompanied  by 


193 

a  good  organ.  This  devotional  exercise  occupied  perhaps  half 
an  hour,  and  takes  place  every  evening.  The  rest  of  the  evening 
I  spent  in  a  very  agreeable  manner,  at  Mr.  Seidel's  house,  in 
company  with  Bishop  Hueffel  and  Mr.  Frueauf. 

The  following  day  passed  in  a  very  agreeable  manner.  I  read 
several  allemanic  poems  of  Hebel  with  Mr.  Frueauf,  who  played 
to  me  on  his  piano,  which  instrument  must  not  be  wanting  in 
any  house  here;  these  poems  may  well  be  called  Pennsylvanian, 
as  they  are  written  in  a  dialect  which  is  spoken  here,  especially 
in  Lancaster  county  and  in  the  western  country.  Bishop  Huef 
fel  showed  me  his  handsome  collection  of  sketches  of  great  mas 
ters,  which  are  selected  with  much  taste  and  science,  as  well 
as  several  other  good  paintings  and  drawings.  This  worthy 
Bishop,  is  a  man  of  polished  education,  in  whose  society 
nothing  but  profit  can  be  obtained,  on  which  account  I  was 
particularly  sorry  that  I  could  not  longer  stay  at  Bethlehem. 
I  also  visited  the  sister's  house,  and  these  maidens,  who  have 
grown  old  in  honour,  seemed  to  be  much  pleased  with  my  repeated 
visit.  I  was  obliged  to  go  through  all  the  rooms,  sit  with  several, 
and  tell  them  of  my  travels,  which  was  done  with  the  greatest 
pleasure.  I  found  many  of  them  employed  in  making  hats  of  fine 
chips  of  the  ash  tree.  These  are  woven  in  a  loom  like  a  bolting 
cloth,  then  cut  and  sewed  into  hats.  A  merchant  of  this  place 
made  this  speculation,  sells  the  hats  at  three  quarters  of  a  dollar 
a  piece,  and  is  said  to  do  much  business. 

But  I  could  stay  no  longer.  I  left  Bethlehem  at  five  o'clock 
in  the  afternoon,  with  much  regret,  and  rode  twelve  miles  to 
Easton.  The  road  led  through  a  country  tolerably  hilly,  and' 
partly  woody,  but  generally  very  well  cultivated,  and  through 
one  small  place  called  Butstown.  I  had  for  several  days  past 
remarked,  that  instead  of  fences,  dry  walls  were  made  in  a  very 
neat  manner,  consisting  of  numerous  stones  gathered  from  the 
fields.  Easton,  which  I  reached  at  seven  o'clock,  is  a  flourish 
ing  place  of  about  three  thousand  inhabitants.  It  lies  in  a  valley 
at  the  junction  of  the  Delaware  and  Lehigh.  The  shores  of  both 
rivers,  especially  of  the  latter,  are  high;  in  this  are  also  many 
rocks,  and  the  country  offers  a  number  of  picturesque  views. 
The  Delaware  forms  the  boundary  between  Pennsylvania  and 
New  Jersey;  Easton  on  the  right  side  belongs  to  the  former. 
The  place  is  regularly  built.  The  greatest  part  of  the  houses 
are -built  of  brick,  though  there  are  also  some  of  stone.  A  large 
square  place  stands  in  the  middle,  surrounded  with  a  row  of 
Lombardy  poplars,  in  the  centre  of  which  the  Court-house  is 
erected.  I  found  these  poplars  in  Pennsylvania,  and  especially 
in  the  eastern  parts,  preferred  as  an  ornamental  tree;  in  the 
greater  part  of  the  villages  the  streets,  and  even  the  roads,  for 

VOL.  II.  25 


194 

some  distance  are  planted,  and  some  farms  are  surrounded  with 
them.  But  it  is  said  they  attract  insects,  which  infest  the 
houses,  on  which  account  they  have  been  rooted  up  in  many 
places,  as  for  instance,  in  the  streets  of  New  York;  in  Pennsyl 
vania,  on  the  contrary,  to  obviate  this  evil,  their  trunks  as  far  as 
the  branches,  are  covered  with  whitewash.  The  butternut  tree, 
the  leaves  of  which  resemble  those  of  the  ash,  is  also  used  as 
an  ornamental  tree.  At  Easton  a  roofed  wooden  bridge  leads 
over  the  Delaware,  resting  on  two  stone  piers,  and  is  about  two 
hundred  and  seventy-seven  paces  in  length.  Like  the  generality 
of  these  bridges,  it  is  divided  into  two  parts  lengthwise,  in  order 
that  wagons  may  not  meet  each  other.  A  handsome  chain  bridge, 
about  two  hundred  and  ten  paces  in  length,  leads  over  the  Le- 
high.  It  is  divided  into  three  parts  lengthwise;  the  extreme  parts 
being  for  wagons  and  horses,  and  the  middle  and  smallest  for 
foot  passengers.  This  bridge  was  erected  ten  years  ago,  and 
though  it  has  borne  heavy  loads,  has  not  yielded  in  the  least 
degree. 

I  received  in  the  evening  visits  from  several  Germans,  who 
live  in  the  place,  among  whom  I  mention  particularly  a  physician^ 
Dr.  Muller,  Mr.  Schumann,  and  Mr.  Till,  from  Bethlehem. 
The  latter  is  a  teacher  of  music  and  an  instrument  maker,  in 
Easton.  Mr.  Schumann  was  sent  to  the  seminary  of  the  Mora 
vians  at  Gnadenfeld  in  Silesia  to  become  a  minister.  Not  being 
pleased  with  this,  he  left  Gnadenfeld,  visited  several  German 
universities  to  study  medicine,  returned  to  America,  and  now 
dedicates  himself  in  Easton  to  the  law, 

»  A  military  academy  wras  founding  in  Easton,  of  which  groat 
expectations  were  formed.  It  was  a  private  undertaking  by 
Mr.  Constant.  Since  it  has  been  seen,  that  the  military  aca 
demy  at  West  Point  furnishes  such  excellent  subjects,  a  strict 
military  education  is  becoming  more  and  more  popular  in  the 
northern  states.  The  number  of  pupils  at  West  Point  is  too 
limited  to  admit  all  the  young  men  for  whom  application  is  made. 
A  captain  Partridge,  who  was  formerly  an  officer  at  West  Point, 
but  condemned  to  be  cashiered  by.  a  court-martial  on  account  of 
an  act  of  insubordination  towards  General  Swift  and  Lieutenant- 
colonel  Thayer,  has  founded  a  military  school  at  his  own  expense 
at  Middletown,  in  Connecticut,  in  which  he  is  said  to  give  a  very 
good  education  and  solid  instruction  to  the  young  men  entrusted 
to  him.  The  result  of  these  schools  shows  more  and  more  the 
advantage  of  a  military  education,  and  awakens  a  spirit  of  compe 
tition  among  individuals  to  erect  similar  schools. 

I  left  Easton,  June  9,  at  four  o'clock,  in  the  mail  stage,  and 
rode  through  New  Jersey  to  New  York,  seventy-two  miles.  We 
passed  the  Delaware,  and  rode  on  a  good  turnpike,  through  a 


195 

hilly,  well-cultivated  country,  and  through  some  unimportant 
places  to  a  tolerably  high  mountain,  called  Schooley's  Mountain, 
where  there  is  a  mineral  spring  much  frequented  in  summer. 
We  afterwards  came  to  a  neat  place  in  a  handsome  valley,  called 
German  Valley;  then  passing  through  Chester  and  Mondham, 
also  handsome  places,  we  came  to  Morristown.  All  these  places 
in  New  Jersey  are  well  located,  containing  generally  brick  and 
some  large  houses;  the  streets  are  wide,  planted  with  poplars, 
and  in  the  centre  of  each  place  is  a  roomy  square  opening,  in  the 
midst  of  which  stands  a  high  pole,  whence  the  national  flag  waves 
on  public  days.  Churches  also  are  not  wanting;  I  saw  four  in 
Morristown,  which  appears  to  contain  about  one  thousand  inhabi 
tants.  The  churches  have  here  generally  high  and  white  steeples, 
so  that  they  may  be  seen  at  a  considerable  distance.  We  came 
also  through  a  small  place,  Springfield,  arid  then  reached  Eliza- 
bethtown,  a  very  handsome  place,  surrounded  with  neat  country- 
seats,  the  greater  part  of  which  belong  to  rich  inhabitants  of  New 
York.  After  a  short  delay  we  left  Elizabethtown,  rode  two  miles 
farther  through  a  meadow  ground,  much  like  Holland,  and  reach 
ed  a  bay.  Here  we  left  the  stage,  and  went  on  board  the  steam 
boat  Bellona,  being  about  fourteen  miles  distant  from  New  York. 
This  bay  is  properly  an  inland  lake,  and  is  called  Newark  bay, 
after  a  town  on  it  of  the  same  name.  It  receives  its  water  from 
two  streams,  Passaic  and  Hackensack,  and  communicates  with 
the  sea  towards  the  south  through  Staten  Island  sound,  and  on 
the  east  with  the  bay  of  New  York  through  the  channel  of  Castle- 
ton,  through  which  we  also  passed.  We  had  on  the  left  a  cape 
belonging  to  New  Jersey,  and  on  the  right  Staten  Island  belong 
ing  to  New  York.  As  it  was  narrow  here  we  could  see  with 
great  ease  the  handsome  country-seats  and  gardens  on  both  shores. 
But  we  enjoyed  the  handsomest  and  most  unexpected  sight,  as 
we  entered  the  bay  of  New  York.  On  the  right  was  the  beautiful 
shore  of  Staten  Island  with  Castleton,  then  the  quarantine,  where, 
besides  several  other  vessels,  lay  a  Swedish  line-of-battle  ship, 
which  being  sold  to  the  Colombian  government,  remained  here 
on  account  of  some  difficulties  in  the  payment;  beyond  the  Nar 
rows  the  sea,  then  Fort  La  Fayette;  we  had  in  front  of  us  the 
shore  of  Long  Island,  and  on  the  left  the  bay  of  New  York,  with 
the  forts  on  Governor's  and  Bedlow's  Island,  and  between  in 
the  back  ground  the  city  of  New  York,  with  its  pointed  spires 
and  forest  of  masts,  in  the  North  and  East  rivers.  This  sight  is 
wonderfully  beautiful,  and  well  deserves  to  be  represented  as  a 
panorama.  Arrived  in  the  bay,  we  turned  to  the  left,  passed  the 
above-mentioned  fortified  islands,  left  Bedlow's  island  and  the 
slightly  fortified  Ellis's  island,  passed  Castle-garden,  and  landed 
from  the  North  river  at  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening.  I  immediately 


196 

repaired  to  the  City  Hotel  in  Broadway,  where  I  had  lodged  last 
autumn,  and  occupied  again  the  same  apartment  which  I  then 

I  leave  it  the  reader  to  imagine  with  what  remarks  and  feelings 
I  again  entered  this  place.  I  gratefully  turned  to  the  Great  Master 
of  Life,  who  had  so  manifestly  protected  me  during  this  long 
journey,  and  brought  me  back  again  to  this  place  in  health! 

I  passed  at  this  time  but  few  days  in  New  York,  and  I  mention 
but  a  few  circumstances.  I  was  indeed  very  busy  during  these 
days,  but  almost  every  thing  was  done  with  a  view  to  my  depar 
ture. 

I  made  a  visit  to  Colonel  Burr,  who  was  a  vice-president  of  the 
United  States  at  the  commencement  of  this  century,  and  a  rival 
of  Mr.  Jefferson  for  the  presidency,  which  was  decided  in  favour 
of  the  latter  by  the  vote  of  Mr.  Claiborne.  In  consequence  of 
this  election,  Colonel  Burr  fought  a  duel  with  General  Hamilton, 
in  which  the  latter  was  killed.  Burr  afterwards  went  to  the 
western  states,  and,  as  it  was  said,  intended  to  detach  these  from 
the  eastern,  and  form  them  into  a  separate  state.  His  plan  was, 
however,  discovered,  and  he  was  arrested,  but  acquitted  for  want 
of  sufficient  proof.  He  then  travelled  through  Europe,  and  now 
lives  at  New  York  as  a  lawyer.  During  his  travels  in  Europe, 
he  came,  in  1810,  to  Weimar,  and  spoke  of  a  remarkably  good 
reception  on  the  part  of  my  father.  I  found  him  to  be  a  little 
old  man,  with  very  lively  eyes,  who  spoke  very  well. 

As  I  went  to  pay  a  visit  to  Mr.  Zimmermann,  consul  of  the 
Netherlands,  a  fire  occurred  in  a  tar  manufactory  near  his  house. 
'It  was  fortunately  checked  by  the  excellent  fire  companies,  before 
-  it  extended.  I  had  scarcely  remarked  the  fire  when  the  bells 
were  rung,  and  fire  cried  in  all  the  streets.  In  less  than  five 
minutes  engines  arrived,  each  drawn  by  about  thirty  people,  by 
means  of  two  long  ropes.  In  New  York  numerous  fire  compa 
nies  exist,  among  whom  the  different  engines  are  divided.  The 
members  of  these  companies  have  voluntarily  engaged  themselves 
for  this  laborious  service,  and  are  relieved,  in  consequence,  from 
jury  and  military  service.  They  wear  a  short  frock  at  a  fire,  of 
coarse  linen,  with  a  leathern  belt,  and  a  leathern  hat  with  a  num 
ber.  As  in  many  English  cities,  there  are  water  pipes  laid  in 
the  streets,  with  an  inscription  at  the  corner,  how  many  feet  dis 
tant  is  the  opening.  This  has  an  iron  cover  to  which  each  en 
gine  has  a  key,  is  brought  near,  and  the  water  conveyed  into  it 
through  a  leathern  hose.  As  I  had  nothing  to  do  with  the  fire, 
[  returned  to  my  lodgings,  and  passed  a  second  fire  in  another 
street.  This  was,  however,  less  important  than  the  former,  and 
soon  extinguished. 

I  went  one  evening  to  the  Italian  opera  in  the  Park  Theatre. 


197 

This  opera  was  established  here  last  autumn,  and  is  an  attempt  *• 
to  transplant  this  exotic  fruit  to  American  ground.  It  does  not, 
however,  appear  adapted  to  the  taste  of  the  public  here ;  at  least 
the  speculation  of  the  Italian  theatre  is  not  so  profitable  as  was 
expected.  The  members  of  this  theatre  came  from  the  Italian 
opera  in  London.  At  their  head  stands  Signor  Garcia,  a  very 
good  bass.  The  orchestra  was  not  numerous,  but  complete,  and 
was  directed  by  a  French  pianist,  Mr.  Etienne.  Don  Giovanni, 
by  Mozart,  was  given ;  it  was  a  great  satisfaction  to  me  to  see 
this  classic  piece  so  well  represented.  At  first  nothing  but  operas 
of  Rossini  were  played,  but  now  operas  of  Mozart  are  preferred 
to  the  former  by  judges  in  this  place.  The  price  has  been  raised, 
and  two  dollars  is  asked  for  the  first  tier.  The  theatre  continues 
till  half  past  eleven,  when  one  returns  home  through  well-lighted 
streets. 

As  I  heard  that  Governor  Clinton  was  in  the  city,  I  hastened 
to  pay  him  my  respects,  but  did  not  find  him  at  home  ;  on  this 
occasion  I  again  saw  how  large  the  city  was.  The  house  where 
the  governor  lived  is  nearly  two  miles  distant  from  the  City  Ho 
tel,  without  being  out  of  the  city.  I  remarked  that  since  last 
autumn  three  new  churches  have  been  built  here,  of  which  one, 
a  presbyterian,  was  very  tasteful ;  since  this  time  also  several 
new  houses  had  been  erected  in  this  quarter.  The  number  of 
the  inhabitants  of  the  city  increases  exceedingly,  it  now  supposed 
to  amount  to  one  hundred  and  seventy  thousand. 

I  rode  also  to  the  navy-yard  in  Brooklyn,  on  Long  Island, 
where  I  paid  a  visit  to  the  worthy  Commodore  Chauncy.  I 
found  him  with  his  interesting  family  in  excellent  health,  but 
very  busy,  for  he  had  just  despatched  the  corvette  Lexington  to 
New  Foundland,  in  order  to  protect  the  American  fishermen 
against  the  chicaneries  of  vessels  of  war  belonging  to  other  na 
tions,  cruising  about  there.  I  saw  also  the  frigate  Brandy  wine, 
which  had  returned  from  the  Mediterranean  sea,  after  taking 
General  La  Fayette  to  France ;  she  was  now  undergoing  repairs, 
in  order  to  go  to  the  Pacific  ocean.  A  frigate  and  corvette  were 
building. 

I  saw  also  the  celebrated  chess-player  of  Kempelen,  which, 
with  some  other  curiosities  is  exhibited  by  its  present  owner,  the 
mechanician  Mr.  Maelzel,  from  Vienna.  He  is  said  to  have 
already  gained  much  money  with  it  in  New  York.  The  auto 
maton  represents  a  Turk,sitting  behind  the  table  with  a  chess-board 
before  him.  A  table  with  another  chess-board  stands  opposite, 
on  which  any  of  the  company  begins  a  game  of  chess  with  the 
automaton.  When  the  automaton  is  to  make  a  move,  a  noise  of 
wheels  is  heard  in  the  table,  and  at  the  same  time  the  Turk  lifts 
his  left  hand,  which  rests  on  a  cushion,  opens  his  fingers,  takes 


198 

*  the  piece,  makes  the  move,  closes  his  hand,  and  places  it  on  the 
cushion  again.  If  his  antagonist  makes  a  false  move,  the  Turk 
knocks  with  his  right  hand  on  the  table  in  anger,  shakes  his 
head,  and  expresses  his  indignation  by  a  sound.  When  the  Turk 
gained  a  game,  Mr.  Maelzel  wound  up  the  machine  like  a  clock, 
by  means  of  a  handle  at  the  table,  then  the  Turk  took  a  knight 
and  placed  it  successively  once  in  every  square.  The  whole 
machine  stands  on  four  wheels,  and  may  be  very  easily  moved 
from  one  part  of  the  chamber  to  the  other.  Whilst  the  Turk  plays 
the  game,  Mr.  Maelzel  stands  by ;  but  it  cannot  be  seen  in  what 
manner  he  directs  his  movements.  It  is  said  that  Mr.  Maelzel 
is  negotiating  with  the  keeper  of  the  National  Hotel,  where  he 
exhibited  his  automaton,  for  the  purchase  of  the  chess-player, 
and  has  already  received  an  offer  of  nineteen  thousand  dollars. 

After  Mr.  Maelzel  had  moved  back  the  player,  he  showed  us 
a  small  figure  made  of  pasteboard,  and  representing  a  violoncello 
player,  which  moves  his  head  and  both  hands.  Mr.  Maelzel 
plays  several  pieces  on  the  piano,  and  the  small  figure  accompa 
nies  him  with  his  violoncello,  keeping  exact  time.  He  then 
showed  us  a  trumpeter  as  large  as  life,  who  plays  several  pieces 
with  the  trumpet  in  a  masterly  manner,  and  with  his  trumpet 
accompanies  Mr.  Maelzel,  who  plays  the  piano.  I  had  already 
seen  this  trumpeter  in  1809,  at  Vienna,  and  I  also  recollected  to 
have  seen  the  chess-player  in  1812,  in  Milan,  in  the  palace  of  the 
then  vice-king  of  Italy.  Mr.  Maelzel  finally  showed  us  three 
small  automata  a  foot  and  a  half  high.  One  of  them  represents  a 
little  girl,  which  when  its  arm  is  moved  cries  maman ;  the  other 
a  clown,  who  made  grimaces  and  cried  oh  la  la!  This  and 
another  smaller  figure  were  placed  on  a  rope,  on  which  they  per 
formed  various  evolutions. 

To  Castle-garden,  on  the  battery,  I  went  about  seven  o'clock 
in  the  evening.  The  tasteful  illumination  is  effected  by  gas. 
A  handsome  and  large  saloon  is  also  arranged  here,  where  various 
refreshments  may  be  obtained.  A  good  orchestra  played  the 
whole  evening,  and  rockets  ascended  from  time  to  time.  I  was 
particularly  pleased  with  the  walk  on  the  upper  gallery,  whence 
there  is  a  beautiful  view  of  Hudson  river  and  the  bay.  It  was  a 
moonlight  evening  ;  the  water  was  calm,  and  a  gentle  wind  from 
the  sea,  refreshed  the  sultry  atmosphere  in  a  very  agreeable 
manner. 

At  a  visit  which  I  made  to  Governor  Clinton,  in  the  City  Hall, 

where  his  office  is,  I  saw  in  the  room  of  audience  several  hand- 

-e  portraits  by  Sully,  Peale,  Trumbull,  &c.   I  was  most  pleased 

with  a  full  length  portrait  of  the  deceased  Commodore  PERRY. 

us  naval  hero  was  represented  at  the  moment  of  leaving  in  a 

boat  his  vessel,  which  had  became  useless,  and  going  on  board 


199 

of  another,  in  which  he  gained  his  splendid  victory  over  the  Eng 
lish  on  Lake  Erie.  There  is  also  here  a  full  length  portrait  of 
General  Jackson,  and  of  Generals  Brown,  Macomb,  and  Swift, 
as  well  as  those  of  Commodores  Hull,  Decatur,  Bainbridge, 
M'Donough  and  Chauncy,  and  of  the  former  Governor  Lewis. 
There  is  also  a  very  good  portrait  of  Ex-President  Monroe,  as 
well  as  of  several  of  the  earlier  Governors  of  New  York,  among 
whom  is  one  of  the  last  Dutch  Governors,  Peter  Stuyvezant,  in 
full  armour.  In  another  hall  appropriated  to  the  meetings  of  the 
corporation,  there  is  a  portrait  by  Trumbull  of  the  great  Wash 
ington,  and  opposite  to  this,  a  portrait  of  the  elder  Governor 
Clinton,  uncle  of  De  Witt  Clinton,  as  well  as  those  of  General 
Hamilton  and  Chief  Justice  Jay. 

To  my  great  delight  I  met  with  my  fellow  traveller,  Mr.  Bow- 
doin;  we  were  much  together;  in  company  with  him  I  paid  a 
visit  to  the  English  Admiral,  Sir  Isaac  Coffin.  He  is  an  Ame 
rican  by  birth,  and  although  he  belongs  to  the  English  navy  and 
is  a  member  of  parliament,  his  whole  heart  still  clings  to  his  na 
tive  country,  and  he  has  come  hither  to  see  it  again  before  his 
death. 

I  was  much  disappointed  at  a  second  visit  to  the  Italian  opera.  • 
II  barbiere  di  Seviglia  was  announced,  but  on  account  of  the  in 
disposition  of  the  Signorina  GARCIA,  it  was  not  represented. 
The  same  folly  prevails  among  the  public  here,  as  among  the 
English,  to  require  a  repetition  of  the  greater  part  of  the  airsy 
even  of  the  most  difficult  songs,  without  regard  to  the  exhaustion 
of  the  singer. 

I  visited  again,  in  company  with  the  Rev.  Mr.  Schaeffer,  the 
excellent  institution,  called  House  of  Refuge  for  juvenile  offen 
ders.  This  institution  has  increased  since  last  autumn,  and  now 
contains  ninety-three  young  persons  of  both  sexes;  at  present, 
however,  there  are  only  twenty-three  of  the  female  sex.  Such 
an  institution  is  certainly  worthy  of  imitation  ;  for  children, 
who  are  led  astray  by  wrong  inclinations,  by  the  wickedness  of 
their  parents,  and  by  bad  company,  are  brought  back  again  to  the 
right  road,  whereas  in  other  countries  they  are  shut  up  in  public 
prisons  with  old  offenders,  and  thereby  they  become  still  more 
corrupted.  The  house  intended  for  the  boys  was  finished,  and 
inhabited  by  them.  They  were  at  this  time  employed  in  build 
ing  another  for  the  girls,  parallel  with  the  former.  The  boys  sleep 
each  alone  in  a  cell  on  a  piece  of  sail  cloth,  which  they  spread  out 
and  fasten  by  four  pegs.  These  are  long  rooms,  which  serve  as 
school  rooms,  and  are  on  one  side  of  the  building  two  stories 
high.  The  second  row  is  reached  by  wooden  steps,  and  a  gallery 
runs  before  the  cells  of  this  row.  All  the  boys  are  employed; 
either  in  receiving  instruction  or  in  attending  to  some  mechanical 


200 

business.  They  are  taylors,  shoemakers,  weavers,  joiners,  and 
basket-makers.  I  saw  here  a  machine  to  cut  out  shoe  soles  and 
heels.  Sharp  irons  are  formed  according  to  the  shape,  which  is 
designed  for  the  sole  or  heel;  these  irons  are  placed  on  a  pair  of 
wet  Chides,  and  brought  under  an  iron  press,  which  is  worked 
like  those  in  the  mint.  The  boys  who  distinguish  themselves  by 
their  industry  and  good  behaviour,  are  placed  in  the  first  class, 
and  carry  on  the  left  arm  a  brass  plate,  with  the  inscription,  first 
class,  as  a  mark  of  distinction.  Those  on  the  contrary,  who  have 
endeavoured  to  escape,  drag  a  chain  with  a  heavy  iron  ball.  The 
period  of  detention  in  this  institution  is  left  to  the  discretion  of 
the  commissioners;  they  may  be  detained  till  their  twenty-first 
year. 

In  order  to  show  me  the  boys,  the  director  gave  notice  with  a 
whistle,  upon  which  they  arranged  themselves,  according  to  their 
size.  Several  large  and  strong  fellows  stood  on  the  right  wing, 
among  which  I  saw  one  of  a  very  good  appearance,  whom  1  saw 
here  last  year  as  clerk.  His  family  had  confined  him  here  on 
account  of  an  irresistible  propensity  to  steal,  against  which,  nei 
ther  exhortation  nor  severe  corporeal  punishment  availed.  I  saw 
two  little  boys  of  seven  years,  on  the  left  wing,  who  had  already 
begun  to  steal.  The  biography  of  every  one  is  written  in  a  se 
parate  book,  and  a  journal  afterwards  kept  of  his  behaviour, 
punishments,  &c.  The  director  of  the  house  showed  me  some 
of  these  biographies;  they  are  psychologically,  exceedingly  re 
markable.  The  greater  part  of  the  boys  had  been  induced  to 
steal  by  larger  ones,  who  have  been  confined  on  account  of  this 
offence  in  the  penitentiary  or  state  prison.  The  director  called 
the  former  of  these  institutions  the  academy,  and  the  latter  the 
university  for  thieves.  The  benefit  of  this  house  of  refuge  is  per 
ceived  in  the  clearest  manner  from  these  biographies,  it  is  seen 
of  what  importance  it  is  to  anticipate  the  development  of  crime. 
It  is  certainly  an  effective  mode  of  improving  the  morality  of  the 
lower  classes.  They  say  that  it  is  more  difficult  to  keep  the  girls 
in  order,  than  the  boys,  and  that  upon  the  whole,  the  former  are 
much  worse  than  the  latter.  They  are  generally  seduced,  when 
they  are  but  nine  or  ten  years  old.  When  not  engaged  in  re 
ceiving  instruction,  they  are  employed  in  female  occupations. 

After  leaving  this  interesting  institution,  we  repaired  to  the 
alms-house  on  the  East  river.  With  the  alms-house  they  have 
connected  the  workhouse,  in  which  criminals  are  confined  and 
employed  for  the  benefit  and  advantage  of  the  city.  The  in 
stitution  was  erected  at  the  expense  of  the  city,  and  consists  of 
three  long  massive  buildings,  three  stories  high,  with  several  side 
buildings,  designed  for  hospitals,  schools,  smithshops,  &c.  The 
whole  is  surrounded  with  a  wall,  and  divisions  made  in  the  inte- 


201 

nor,  to  separate  the  paupers  from  the  criminals.     The  offices  and 
the  rooms  occupied  by  the  officers,  as  well  as  those  of  the  poor, 
are  arranged  in   the  building  fronting  on  the  river,  the  second 
house  also  contains  rooms  for  the  poor,  and  workshops,  in  which 
those  who  can  yet  work,  are  usefully  employed.     About  twelve 
hundred  helpless  poor  people  and  children,  among  which  are 
many  foundlings,  are  here  supported.     They  inhabit  large  halls, 
which,  however,  have  a  bad  smell,  and  I  missed  that  cleanli 
ness,  which  is  indispensably  necessary  in  such  an  establishment. 
A  poor-house,  is  at  best  an  unpleasant,  and  when  it  is  not  clean 
ly  kept,  a  disgusting  sight.     Those  who  are  confined,  are  cri 
minals  of  a  lower  kind,  the  worst  are  not  confined  longer  than 
three  years.     The  men  work  during  the  day,  either  in  the  fields 
belonging  to  the  city,  or  in  the  public  streets.  A  chain  is  attached 
to  their  leg,  and  they  are  under  the  inspection  of  appointed  sen 
tinels.     The  women  are  employed  in  various  manners.   A  tread- 
ing-mill  was  formerly  in  operation  in  a  side  building;  but  this 
has  not  been  used  for  a  year,  as  it  was  thought  injurious  to  the 
health  of  the  prisoners.     A  kind  of  typhus  raged  in  the  prison 
last  year,  which  carried  off  numbers  of  the  prisoners.  These  sleep 
in  separate  cells,  each  of  which,  is  seven  feet  long,  and  three  feet 
broad.  Each  prisoner  has  here,  as  in  the  house  of  refuge,  a  piece 
of  sail  cloth,  spread  out  on  four  pegs,  on  which  he  sleeps..  There 
is  a  small  grate  in  each  door,  which  admits  the  necessary  light 
into  the  cell.     There  are  sixty  cells  in  one  hall,  all  on  one  side, 
in  five  rows  above  each  other;  each  row  has  a  small  gallery. 
The  hall  receives  its  light  from  above.     A  pulpit,  opposite  the 
cells,  is  erected  in  this  hall  for  worship;  the  prisoners  who  are 
confined  during  the  service,  stand  behind  the  grate  in  their  doors, 
whence  they  may  see  the  minister.   The  whole  arrangement  has, 
as  remarked  above,  a  handsome  and  open  situation ;  there  is  a 
belvidere  on  the  roof  of  the  front  house,  whence  a  handsome  and 
extensive  prospect  may  be  enjoyed. 

On  the  last  day  of  my  stay  in  New  York  and  in  America,  I 
went  with  Mr.  Zimmermann  into  some  stores,  and  walked  in 
some  of  the  oldest  parts  of  the  city.  In  these  parts  the  streets  are 
crooked,  narrow  and  gloomy,  well  adapted  to  retain  the  yellow 
fever.  In  the  neighbourhood,  however,  of  the  alms-house  there 
is  a  building  three  stories  high,  where  the  incurable  lunatics, 
supported  by  the  corporation  of  the  city,  are  received;  but  the 
two  upper  stories  are  designed  to  receive,  when  the  yellow  fever 
appears,  those  who  suffer  with  this  dreadful  evil,  in  order  to  re 
move,  as  quickly  as  possible,  the  infection  from  the  city.  Some 
old  Dutch  houses  stand  in  the  narrow  streets,  built  by  the  first 
settlers,  consisting  only  of  a  lower  story,  with  the  gable-ends 
towards  the  street.  They  are  building  in  Wall  street,  a  new  ex- 
VOL.  II.  26 


202 

change,  which,  when  completed,  will  be  a  handsome  building. 
The  post-office  is  already  placed  in  its  lower  story.  Wall  street 
is  the  street  in  which  the  most  commercial  business  is  done,  and 
in  which  most  of  the  banks  stand ;  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  it  is 
one  of  the  ugliest  streets  in  the  city. 

After  having  paid  some  farewell  visits,  I  passed  a  part  of  my 
last  evening  in  America,  in  a  very  agreeable  manner  in  the  house 
of  Mrs.  Bell.  It  is  the  most  agreeable  house  for  strangers  in 
New  York,  in  which  they  always  meet  with  a  very  good  recep 
tion.  I  enjoyed  also,  for  several  hours,  the  company  of  Mr.  Bow- 
doin,  and  of  Colonel  Jones,  the  brother-in-law  of  Governor 
Clinton. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Return  Voyage  from  New  York  to  Liverpool 

TO  my  great  and  sincere  regret,  the  hour  at  length  arrived 
when  I  was  constrained  to  leave  this  happy  and  prosperous  land, 
in  which  I  had  seen  and  learned  so  much,  and  in  which  much 
more  still  remained  to  be  seen  and  learned:  sed  fata  trahunt 
hominem  ! 

On  the  16th  of  June,  at  ten,  A.  M.,  I  proceeded  to  Whitehall, 
the  southernmost  point  of  the  battery,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Zim- 
mermann,  Mr.  George  Belden,  and  Mr.  Armstrong,  the  American 
Consul  at  Port-au-Prince.  Close  alongside  the  wharf,  the  steam 
boat  Nautilus,  which  plies  between  New  York  and  Staten  Island, 
lay  ready  to  take  passengers  on  board  the  Pacific,  one  of  the  Li 
verpool  and  New  York  packets,  on  board  of  which  I  had  taken 
passage  for  Europe.  The  Pacific  had  on  the  preceding  day,  sailed 
down  to  the  quarantine  ground.  The  gentlemen  above  named 
accompaned  me  to  the  vessel.  We  were  scarcely  on  board  the 
steam-boat  before  she  departed  on  her  trip.  She  was  tolerably 
crowded,  inasmuch  as  she  not  only  carried  the  Pacific's  passen 
gers,  but  likewise  their  friends,  who  accompanied  them,  and 
the  passengers  for  Staten  Island.  The  rain  fell  in  torrents,  and 
the  passage  was  rather  unpleasant. 

After  stopping  a  few  moments  at  Staten  Island  to  land  some 
passengers,  we  reached  the  Pacific  in  an  hour.  The  wind  being 
contrary,  the  ship  could  not  put  to  sea.  Not  far  from  us  lay  the 
packet  ship  Edward  Quesnell,  which  had  left  New  York  the 
day  previous,  and  likewise,  owing  to  head  winds,  could  not  pro- 


203 

ceedon  her  voyage.  This  ship  belongs  to  the  Havre-de-Grace  line, 
trading  between  that  port  and  New  York.  Our  friends  and  ac 
quaintances,  who  had  come  to  bid  us  farewell,  after  partaking  of  a 
luncheon,  returned  in  the  Nautilus  to  the  city.  Now  I  once  again 
was  compelled  to  arm  myself  with  patience!  I  recalled  the  time, 
when  I  was  obliged  to  remain  fourteen  long  days  on  board  the 
Pallas,  in  the  Road  of  Goeree,  and  I  now  consoled  myself  with  a 
more  pleasing  situation.  At  that  time  I  had  just  torn  myself 
from  the  dearest  objects  of  my  heart;  I  contemplated  a  tedious 
stay  in  England,  a  dangerous  voyage,  in  a  word,  to  encounter  a 
host  of  difficulties,  and  moreover  found  myself,  in  an  inclement 
season  of  the  year  on  board  a  ship,  which  was  to  bring  me  to  a 
new  world.  These  difficulties  were  now  overcome;  the  voyage 
had  been  accomplished,  and  I  was  conscious  that  the  object  of 
my  free  choice,  had  been  truly  fulfilled  to  the  best  of  my  endea 
vours.  According  to  a  close  calculation,  I  found  that  from  my 
landing  in  Boston,  to  the  time  of  my  re-embarkation  for  Europe, 
I  had  travelled  over  a  distance  of  seven  thousand  one  hundred  and 
thirty-five  miles !  How  happy  was  I  on  board  the  Pacific !  The 
greatest  tranquillity,  order  and  discipline,  the  utmost  comfort  in 
respect  to  quarters;  a  sedulous  attendance,  profuse  and  palatable 
meals,  seasoned  with  the  best  of  wines,  graced  our  splendid 
board. 

The  first  day  was  employed  by  the  passengers,  about  twenty 
in  number,  in  making  themselves  at  home;  I  passed  the  after 
noon  and  evening  in  reading  and  writing.  The  rain  abated  to 
wards  night,  but  the  wind  remained  unchanged.  Among  the 
passengers  I  observed  a  Dr.  Garret,  a  surgeon  attached  to  the  se 
ventieth  English  regiment  of  the  line,  whose  acquaintance  I  had 
made  in  Montreal,  during  the  summer  previous,  also  two  Catho 
lic  clergymen  of  that  city,  Abbes  Roux  and  Richards,  a  Mr. 
Wilkins,  and  Mr.  Adair,  an  Irishman,  and  also  several  gentlemen 
from  Jamaica,  a  Swiss  merchant  named  HofFel,  and  a  young 
Hamburger,  called  Drusina,  who  had  lately  returned  from  Mexico, 
where  he  was  partner  in  an  English  commercial  house,  a  very 
genteel  young  man,  and  lastly  a  Dr.  Cabell  of  Richmond,  in  Vir 
ginia,  with  his  wife,  a  sister  of  Mrs.  General  Scott,  and  with 
their  charming  friend,  Miss  Caroline  Marx,  also  a  resident  of 
Richmond. 

Though  we  had  no  rain  on  the  17th  of  June,  still  the  wind 
continued  unfavourable;  the  Edward  Quesnell  had  gone  farther 
out  to  sea,  and  the  Pacific  did  the  same.  The  anchor  was  weigh 
ed,  we  spread  our  sails,  and  coasted  for  some  miles  along  the 
shore  to  the  Sandy  Hook  light-house,  located  on  a  point  of  land  be 
longing  to  the  state  of  New  Jersey;  here  we  again  joined  the  Ed 
ward  Quesnell  and  cast  anchor  close  to  her.  While  sailing  along 


204 

the  coast,  I  was  visited  by  my  old  acquaintance,  sea-sickness, 
which  however  did  not  last  long.  While  attacked  by  this  sick 
ness,  I  gratefully  recalled  to  mind  the  goodness  of  Providence, 
in  having  preserved  me  from  all  disease  during  my  long  journey 
through  the  American  continent!  In  England  I  had  several  at 
tacks  of  rheumatism  in  the  left  arm  and  shoulder;  but  these  pains 
disappeared  during  my  voyage  to  Boston.  Owing  to  the  unheal- 
thiness  of  the  climate  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Lake  Ontario  and 
the  river  St  Lawrence,  I  had  a  breaking  out  in  the  face,  which 
ultimately  increased  to  a  scab  on  the  chin,  and  of  which  I  did 
not  get  rid  for  several  months.  To  this  I  have  to  add  the  unfor 
tunate  injury  from  the  carriage  at  Greenbush,  which  caused  vio 
lent  pains  in  my  chest.  All  these  left  me  the  moment  I  reached 
the  genial  climate  of  the  southern  states,  and  during  my  stay  in 
New  Orleans  I  did  not  feel  the  least  inconvenience,  and  when, 
during  the  journey,  I  experienced  now  and  then  a  slight  indis 
position,  it  was  doubtless  to  be  attributed  solely  to  the  water  that 
I  was  compelled  to  drink;  it  was  but  short  in  its  duration,  and, 
upon  the  whole,  during  my  travels,  I  enjoyed  perfect  health. 

The  country  adjacent  to  the  spot  where  our  ship  lay,  opposite 
the  quarantine  hospital  at  Staten  Island,  until  this  morning,  is 
uncommonly  beautiful.  On  leaving  this  station,  we  passed  through 
the  Narrows,  beheld  on  our  right  Fort  Richmond  on  Staten  Island, 
to  our  left  Fort  La  Fayette,  and  in  the  back  ground,  on  a  hill  of 
Long  Island,  Fort  Hamilton,  in  the  erection  of  which  they  were 
busily  engaged.  Then  we  left  the  charming  high  coast  of  Staten 
Island  and  came  in  sight  of  the  bleak  low  lands  of  Sandy  Hook, 
with  Long  Island  to  the  left,  and  the  ocean  before  us.  The  San 
dy  Hook  light-house  is  a  high  white  tower,  surrounded  by  small 
underwood;  to  the  south  of  it,  and  tolerably  distant  from  each 
other,  are  two  small  towers,  likewise  furnished  with  lanterns, 
whose  lights  are,  however,  not  to  be  seen  at  so  great  a  distance 
at  sea  as  that  of  the  large  one.  They  serve  as  landmarks  for 
mariners. 

As  we  lay  so  near  the  Edward  Quesnell,  I  went  towards  even 
ing  in  a  boat  on  board  that  vessel,  in  order  to  see  how  the  passen 
gers,  and  particularly  the  worthy  Mr.  Hottinguer,  whom  I  have 
heretofore  mentioned,  were  situated.  Although  this  ship  is  well 
constructed  and  provided  with  state-rooms,  still  it  is  by  no  means 
so  elegant  and  comfortable  as  the  Pacific,  nor  is  it  so  large.  She 
had  thirty-five  cabin  passengers,  with  a  number  of  children;  they 
were  greatly  straightened  for  room.  Besides  Mr.  Hottinguer,  I 

it  several  acquaintances;  Colonel  de  Quartel,*  Baron  Lederer,t 


°n  his  return  fr°m  a  missi°n  to  the  new 

f  Austrian  Consul-Geheral  to  the  United  States, 


205 

with  his  two  sons,  whom  he  intended  to  place  at  a  school  in  Ger 
many;  Major  Chotard,  *  with  his  lady  and  four  children,  and  also 
a  young  Italian  scene-painter,  from  New  Orleans,  called  Fogliardi, 
who  married  there  a  very  old  but  extremely  rich  wife,  and  was 
on  his  way  to  France  and  Italy,  to  escape  with  his  better  half 
from  the  quizzical  jokes  of  the  wicked  wags  of  New  Orleans. 
Although  the  deck  of  the  Edward  Quesnell  was  very  narrow,  Mr. 
Hottinguer  had  received  a  present  of  an  elegant  saddle-horse  from 
his  friends  at  New  York,  which,  to  please  those  friends,  he  was 
forced  to  take  with  him;  therefore  there  was  a  stable  erected 
for  it  on  the  deck,  which  took  up  a  great  space,  and  caused  much 
inconvenience.  Mr.  Hottinguer  and  Colonel  de  Quartel  accom 
panied  me  back  to  the  Pacific,  and  remained  some  time  with  me. 
It  was  a  charming  moonlight  evening;  the  wind,  however,  still 
continued  unfavourable. 

On  the  18th  of  June,  just  one  year  had  elapsed  since  I  departed 
in  the  Pallas  from  Falmouth.  The  whole  of  this  day  we  had  dull 
weather;  the  wind  remained  unfavourable,  and  the  vessel  rode  at 
anchor.  Among  our  fellow  travellers  there  were  several  very 
agreeable  individuals.  The  English  military  surgeon  was  a  very 
sprightly  man,  who  perfectly  understood  how  to  cheer  up  the 
spirits  of  the  ladies.  Mr.  Wilkins,  a  very  elegant  young  man 
of  good  education,  had  been  previously  introduced  to  me  by  Go 
vernor  Clinton  in  New  York.  One  of  the  clergymen,  the  Abbe 
Leroux,  an  elderly  Frenchman,  we  found  tolerably  dull.  With 
regard  to  the  other,  the  Abbe  Richards,  I  heard  it  stated,  that  he 
had  been  originally  a  Protestant  minister  in  Virginia,  and  had 
removed  to  Montreal,  to  endeavour  to  make  proselytes  in  the 
seminary  of  that  place;  but  in  his  controversies  he  bqcame  so 
won  over  to  the  Catholic  faith,  that  he  was  not  only  converted, 
but  likewise  took  the  orders  of  Catholic  priesthood.  One  of  our 
boats  went  ashore,  and  the  steward  brought  back  some  fresh  pro 
visions,  among  others  tolerably  large  clams,  which,  when  roasted 
or  stewed  in  a  rich  sauce,  resemble  the  flavour  of  the  lobster,  as 
likewise  a" species  of  large  crab,  termed  horse-shoe,  which  resem 
bles  the  Molucca  crab,  having  a  long  pointed  spine  instead  of  a 
tail.  The  form  of  the  shell  of  this  crab  resembles  a  horse-shoe; 
seen  from  the  under  part  it  is  all  alive;  they  have  ten  nippers, 
with  which  they  seize  their  prey,  and  which  answer  likewise  for 
feet.  In  the  afternoon  we  received  a  visit  from  Mr.  Hottinguer, 
Colonel  de  Quartel,  Baron  Lederer,  and  Mr.  Fogliardi.  I  escorted 
those  gentlemen  back  to  the  Edward  Quesnell.  The  sea  running 
rather  high,  we  were  splashed  by  the  salt  water.  Our  trip  seen 

*  Whose  acquaintance  I  made  on  the  Mississippi  during  my  trip  from  Louis 
ville  to  Cincinnati. 


206 

from  the  ship  must  have  had  a  dangerous  aspect,  for  it  was  really 
affecting  to  behold  with  what  tenderness  Madam  Fogliardi  ca 
ressed  her  young  husband,  as  he  once  more  happily  stood  on 
the  deck.  I  also  became  acquainted  on  board  the  Edward  Ques- 
nell  with  a  Portuguese,  Dr.  Constancio,  and  his  wife.  During  the 
ephemeral  government  of  the  Cortes  in  his  native  land,  this  indi 
vidual  was  Portuguese  ambassador  near  the  government  of  the 
United  States,  and  had  subsequently,  during  the  existence  of  the 
counter-revolution,  lost  his  office.  After  remaining  half  an  hour 
on  board  the  Edward  Quesnell,  Mr.  Croker  took  me  back  in  his 
long-boat  to  the  Pacific.  We  made  the  transition  in  less  than  four 
minutes.  This  Mr.  Croker  is  a  Quaker,  and  an  experienced  sea 
man;  he  had  crossed  the  ocean  one  hundred  and  thirty-four 
times. 

During  the  next  three  days  the  wind  remained  unfavoura 
ble.  Several  vessels  from  Liverpool,  were  making  port;  one  of 
them  had  only  been  twenty-six  days  on  her  voyage.  We  were 
likewise,  approached  by  several  small  vessels  bound  to  different 
foreign  countries,  and  like  us,  contending  with  a  contrary  wind. 
Towards  evening  I  received  a  note  from  Messrs.  Leroy,  Bayard 
&  Co.  in  New  York,  acquainting  me  with  the  failure  of  the  firm 
of  Fries  &  Co.  in  Vienna.  As  I  had  formerly  been  very  hospi 
tably  received  by  that  house,  and  was  personally  acquainted  with 
all  the  individuals  belonging  to  it,  their  misfortunes  deeply  af 
flicted  me. 

On  the  22d,  the  rain  abated  and  the  weather  began  to  clear  up, 
but  the  wind  continued  steadily  blowing  from  the  east,  which 
kept  us  in  the  same  spot.  Nothing  interrupted  the  uniformity 
of  our  mode  of  living,  which  we  beguiled  by  reading  the  news 
papers  that  we  received  from  the  city,  and  looking  at  vessels 
coming  from  England,  running  into  port  before  the  wind.  One 
of  these  vessels  had  one  hundred  and  forty  Irish  emigrants  on 
board.  The  James  Cropper,  a  ship  belonging  to  the  line,  had 
sailed  on  the  16th  ultimo,  from  Liverpool.  Two  days  previous, 
the  Silas  Richards,  another  of  the  same  line,  had  also  arrived, 
which  left  Liverpool  on  the  24th  ulL  In  one  of  the  New  York  pa 
pers,  we  found  a  letter  from  the  master  of  this  vessel,  in  which 
he  stated,  that  he  had  seen  the  celebrated  sea  serpent,  not  far 
from  the  American  coast. 

During  the  23d  of  June,  we  still   remained  becalmed;  the 

weather  was  cloudy  and  rainy  throughout  the  whole  day.     Mr. 

Hottmguer,  who  likewise  began  to  feel  the  effects  of  ennui  on 

board  his  vessel,  paid  me  a  visit,  took  a  luncheon  and  dined  with 

us,  and  passed  the  greater  part  of  the  day  in  our  company.  When 

th*  evening  he  returned  to  the  Edward  Quesnell,  I  accompa- 

»  him,  and  made  a  short  visit  to  my  half  despairing  acquain- 


207 

tances.  One  of  our  boats  had  gone  towards  land  upon  a  fishing 
excursion,  and  came  back  loaded  with  a  rich  collection  of  various 
kinds  of  fish:  flounders,  bluefish,  and  herrings  in  abundance; 
clams,  crabs  beautifully  coloured  with  blue  and  red ;  large  sea- 
shells  of  extraordinary  form,  several  bass  and  a  small  fish,  with  a 
brown  back,  resembling  a  toad,  with  a  thick  white  belly,  which 
it  fills  with  air  to  such  a  degree,  that  the  whole  fish  has  the  ap 
pearance  of  a  ball,  three-fourths  of  it  are  white,  and  one-fourth 
forming  the  back,  brown.  When  this  fish  is  caught  and  dies, 
the  air  gradually  escapes  from  it,  and  it  ultimately  assumes  the 
form  of  an  empty  bladder. 

At  last,  on  the  24th,  the  weather  became  somewhat  clear  and 
the  wind  came  round  favourably  for  us.  At  noon  the  anchor  was 
weighed  and  we  spread  our  sails.  A  number  of  vessels,  desirous 
to  avail  themselves  of  the  fair  wind,  were  coming  down  from 
New  York  and  the  quarantine  ground.  The  line  packet,  John 
Wells,  next  in  rotation  to  the  Pacific,  made  likewise  its  appear 
ance  from  port,  which  was  no  doubt  the  principal  cause  of  our 
hastily  hoisting  sail.  I  counted  more  than  fifty  vessels  of  all 
sizes,  putting  to  sea.  The  wind  in  the  beginning  was  so  slight, 
that  we  could  only  move  along  with  the  ebb  tide.  We  doubled 
the  low  cape  of  Sandy  Hook;  in  the  back  ground  we  saw  the 
light-house,  surrounded  by  underwood,  and  in  front  of  it,  like 
two  outposts,  the  two  low  stony  beacons.  Not  far  from  the  light 
house,  stands  a  half  ruined  block-house,  in  which  during  the 
last  war  a  military  post  was  stationed ;  it  now  answers  as  a  land 
mark  for  mariners.  In  the  rear  of  the  high  light-house,  at  a  dis 
tance  of  several  miles,  towers  the  highland  of  Navesink,  pre 
senting  a  charming  prospect.  To  the  south  one  discovers  the 
long  and  low  coast  of  New  Jersey,  and  perceives  the  sea-baths  of 
Long  Branch,  which  during  the  heat  of  summer  are  numerously 
visited  by  the  fashionables  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia.  The 
heights  of  Staten  Island  with  Fort  Richmond  are  seen,  to  the 
right  of  them  are  the  Narrows,  and  farther  to  the  right  the  south 
ernmost  high  coast  of  Long  Island,  gradually  fading  from  the 
view.  In  the  centre  of  the  Narrows,  Fort  La  Fayette  stretches  out, 
like  a  solitary  point.  As.  we  put  farther  out  to  sea,  we  saw  se 
veral  buoys,  which  designated  the  shallows,  through  the  midst  of 
which  the  skilful  pilot  brought  us  safely.  Two  small  vessels 
were  employed  in  fishing  up  lost  anchors.  The  pilot  remarked, 
that  the  anchors  of  the  French  fleet  under  Admiral  De  Grasse, 
had  remained  here  ever  since  the  time  of  the  American  revolu 
tionary  war.  This  fleet  owing  to  the  unskilfullness  of  two 
pilots,  was  compelled  to  part  with  its  anchors.  When  an  enemy's 
fleet  blockades  New  York,  the  shipping  make  to  Sandy  Hook 
bay,  properly  called  Raritan  bay,  for  shelter  against  storms,  and 


208 

ire  thus  enabled  to  blockade  the  Narrows  very  closely.  Should 
a  fleet  wish  to  force  the  passage,  it  can,  as  I  remarked  last  fall, 
neither  be  prevented  from  so  doing  by  Fort  Richmond,  nor 
Fort  La  Fayette.  In  a  conversation  which  I  had  with  Ge 
neral  Bernard,  he  stated,  that  he  would  prevent  a  close  block 
ade  by  means  of  two  strong  casemated  forts,  which  he  would 
erect  on  the  before-mentioned  shallows,  whereby  the  enemy 
would  be  perfectly  excluded  from  Raritan  bay.  This  project 
could  not,  however,  be  realised  at  that  time,  because  the  grant  of 
funds  by  congress  were  to  be  appropriated  to  the  completion  of 
the  works  on  the  fortress  already  commenced. 

In  the  afternoon,  the  pilot  at  length  left  us,  and  we  found  our 
selves  on  the  open  sea.  Although  the  wind  blew  very  gently, 
still  the  sea,  owing  to  the  late  storm,  ran  very  high.  The  ship 
rolled  dreadfully  and  many  of  our  passengers  were  sea-sick.  I 
also  felt  somewhat  unwell,  but  my  complaint  did  not  produce 
vomiting. 

During  the  25th  of  June  the  wind  not  being  favourable,  we  made 
but  little  progress.  The  weather  was  rather  unpleasant,  and  the 
whole  day  clouded  with  a  thick  fog,  almost  as  dense  as  that 
through  which  we  made  our  way  during  last  year  on  the  banks 
of  Newfoundland.  Towards  the  afternoon  the  weather  brighten 
ed  up  a  little.  We  spoke  two  ships,  the  Camillus,  of  New  York, 
from  Greenock,  in  Scotland,  with  Scotch  emigrants,  bound  to 
New  York,  and  a  small  brig  from  New  Brunswick,  in  ballast,  to 
New  York.  A  shark  followed  our  ship  for  some  time.  It  gave 
me  particular  pleasure  to  perceive  what  tranquillity  reigned  on 
board,  that  no  swearing  was  to  be  heard,  and  that  every  thing 
tended  to  the  comfort  of  the  passengers. 

During  the  night  rain  fell,  and  on  the  26th  of  June  we  had  like 
wise  several  showers.  We  perceived  the  Edward  Quesnell  astern 
of  us,  and  set  several  additional  sails  that  she  might  not  reach 
us.  The  wind  was  not  very  favourable,  and  blowing  from  the 
south-east,  it  drove  us  into  the  neighbourhood  of  the  perilous 
George's  bank,  which  we  so  carefully  avoided  last  year.  There 
fore  we  changed  our  course  and  stood  to  the  south.  It  became 
imperiously  necessary  this  year  to  keep  aloof  from  the  bank  of 
Newfoundland,  because  we  had  been  assured  that  a  great  quantity 
of  detached  ice  had  come  down  from  the  north,  and  setting  on 
the  bank  in  the  shape  of  bergs  and  fields  of  ice,  had  rendered  the 
passage  extremely  dangerous.  Several  of  our  passengers,  and  1 
among  the  number,  had  not  entirely  recovered  from  the  effects 
of  sea-sickness. 

On  the  27th  of  June  the  wind  had  come  round  favourably  to 

e  west,  so  that  we  were  enabled  to  hoist  a  larger  quantity  of 
canvass.  In  the  forenoon  there  was  a  heavy  swell,  which  made 


209 

me  sea-sick.  While  labouring  under  this  unpleasant  sensation, 
it  is  difficult  to  conceive  how  men  can  expose  themselves  to  the 
clangers  of  the  sea,  while  there  is  a  comfortable  house  and  quiet 
bed  at  home.  But  scarcely  is  it  over,  or  scarcely  have  we  put 
foot  on  shore  before  all  these  inconveniences  are  forgotten,  and 
one  thinks  little  of  embarking  again.  The  sea  gradually  became 
more  still,  the  weather  charmingly  warm,  and  an  awning  was 
spread  over  a  part  of  the  deck,  under  which  we  collected,  and 
even  the  ladies,  who  had  slowly  recovered  from  sea-sickness, 
joined  us,  to  breathe  the  fresh  air.  In  the  evening,  we  were  re 
galed  with  music;  one  of  the  steerage  passengers  blew  tolerably 
well  on  the  bugle,  amused  his  companions  therewith,  and  we 
listened  to  his  strains  at  a  distance.  There  was  some  musical 
talent  among  ourselves;  a  young  Scotch  gentleman  from  Jamaica, 
named  Leslie,  played  elegantly  on  the  flute,  and  often  delighted 
us.  Several  water  birds  followed  our  ship;  it  is  a  species  of  bird 
resembling  a  swallow,  called  petrel,  and  termed  mother  Carey's 
chickens  by  sailors,  who  say  that  they  never  alight  upon  land, 
and  as  their  nests  are  not  readily  found,  it  is  hard  to  tell  where 
they  propagate.  A  large  vessel,  which  we  supposed  to  be 
either  the  Edward  Quesnell  or  the  John  Wells,  followed  con 
stantly  in  our  wake;  but  our  heavy  press  of  sail  kept  us  always 
in  advance.  It  is  a  matter  of  surprise,  how  such  a  large  quan 
tity  of  sail  can  be  managed  by  so  few  hands,  for  we  had  but  fif 
teen  sailors  and  two  boys;  however,  the  steerage  passengers  were 
obliged  to  lend  a  hand  to  the  manoeuvres  on  deck;  there  were 
thirteen  of  these  on  board;  they  are  similar  to  the  deck  passen 
gers  in v  the  steam-boats;  they  pay  but  little,  provide  their  own 
provisions,  and  are  narrowly  lodged  in  a  small  place  below  decks, 
near  the  fore-mast,  and  are  not  allowed,  unless  when  working, 
to  show  themselves  abaft  the  mainmast,  inasmuch  as  this  place  is 
solely  reserved  for  the  cabin  passengers.  On  board  our  vessel, 
the  sailors  slept  in  quarters  provided  for  them  on  the  deck,  be 
tween  the  fore-mast  and  the  bowsprit. 

During  the  whole  of  the  28th  of  June  we  were  favoured  with 
a  prosperous  breeze  and  fine  weather.  Our  situation  was,  by  a 
midday  observation,  40°  3'  latitude,  and  65°  4'  longitude.  Since 
yesterday  we  had  seen  grass  floating  close  to  the  ship.  Thence 
we  concluded  that  we  had  already  entered  the  favouring  Gulf 
Stream.  The  awning  was  again  spread.  Mrs.  Cabell  and  Miss 
Marx,  who  had  recovered  by  degrees  from  their  indisposition, 
presented  themselves  to-day  upon  deck,  and  made  a  considerable 
change  in  the  tedious  uniformity  of  our  late  mode  of  living.  In 
the  evening  Mr.  Leslie  brought  his  flute,  and  delighted  us  with 
music;  finally,  we  began  to  dance  on  deck,  although  from  the 
motion  of  the  ship  it  did  not  succeed  well. 

VOL.  II.  27 


210 

On  the  29lh  of  June,  both  wind  and  weather  continued  favour 
able  to  us;  otherwise  things  remained  as  before.  Captain  Croker, 
who  did  every  thing  in  his  power  to  entertain  his  passengers, 
set  off  in  the  evening  a  couple  of  rockets,  and  other  fire-works, 
which  afforded  us  much  pleasure.  Mr.  Croker,  who  is  very 
experienced  in  a  seafaring  life,  related  us  many  of  his  adventures 
on  the  deep,  which  we  found  very  interesting.  We  twice  per 
ceived  swarms  of  flying  fish  arise  from  the  water,  which  after 
flying  a  considerable  distance,  plunged  anew  into  their  native 
element;  they  did  not,  however,  come  sufficiently  near  to  enable 
us  to  observe  them  distinctly.  A  large  dolphin  likewise  made 
its  appearance,  and  we  were  still  escorted  by  mother  Carey's 
chickens,  and  saw  numerous  sea-gulls. 

On  l!he  30th  of  June  no  change;  wind  favourable,  weather  fine 
and  clear,  and  a  curiosity  in  natural  history!  We  generally  kept 
a  pair  of  hooks  in  our  wake.  One  of  these  hooks  had  caught  a 
mollusc  which  goes  by  the  name  of  Portuguese  man-of-war. 
It  is  of  a  violet  colour,  and  has  a  spongy  body  with  long  feelers 
and  two  bladders,  the  largest  of  which  is  about  the  size  of  a  carp. 
This  bladder  the  animal  fills  with  air  at  pleasure,  in  order  to  en 
able  itself  to  swim,  and  when  the  sun  shines  upon  it,  it  displays 
very  fine  colours.  Otherwise  we  caught  nothing,  as  heretofore,  be 
cause  fish  most  generally  avoid  copper-bottomed  vessels,  such  as 
ours.  In  the  evening  we  saw  in  the  ship's  wake  the  phosphoric 
sealight. 

Under  a  continually  favourable  wind,  we  made  great  progress 
on  the  2d  of  July,  and  had  the  agreeable  certainty  of  leaving 
the  bank  of  Newfoundland  behind  us,  so  that  we  had  reason  to 
hope,  during  the  remainder  of  our  voyage,  not  to  be  again  in 
commoded  by  fogs;  latitude  41°  24',  longitude  50°.  Notwith 
standing  the  constantly  favourable  and  fresh  breezes,  the  sea  was 
so  smooth,  that  our  ship  had  no  more  motion  than  if  we  were 
sailing  on  a  stream.  And  thus  passed  off  the  third  of  July;  the 
air,  which  had  thus  far  been  very  warm,  became  to-day  rather 
cool,  which  made  our  cabin  very  comfortable.  At  a  cable's 
length  from  our  vessel  we  perceived  a  numerous  herd  of  por 
poises,  which  were  sporting  on  the  surface  of  the  water;  latitude 
42°,  longitude  46°  48'. 

The  4th  of  July  was  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  the  Declaration 
of  American  Independence;  it  was  of  course  duly  celebrated 
on  board  our  vessel.  The  American  flag  was  hoisted  early,  and 
at  dinner  more  wine  than  usual,  and  of  various  kinds,  was  drank 
freely.  Several  toasts  were  proposed:  Mr.  Croker  drank  the 
health  of  the  King  of  England;  whereupon  Dr.  Garret  proposed 
that  of^the  President  of  the  United  States;  I  gave  Governor 
Umton's;  thereupon  followed  a  great  many  of  like  kind.  We 


211 

were  pretty  gay  and  cheerful,  and  drank  till  tolerably  late.  Se 
veral  gentlemen  got  head-aches,  and  became  sea-sick ;  and  many 
laughable  scenes  took  place.  I  stole  into  my  state-room,  in  or 
der  to  avoid  similar  mishap. 

On  the  5th  of  July  we  had  the  good  fortune  to  meet  a  large 
whale,  which  spouted  the  water  high  above  him  in  all  directions. 
He  did  not,  however,  honour  us  a  long  time  with  his  presence, 
but  pursued  his  course,  and  we  ours,  though  with  much  greater 
velocity ;  for  at  the  usual  meridian  observation,  we  found  our 
latitude  44°  9'  and  our  longitude  39°  38'.  In  the  morning  we 
had  little  wind,  but  when  towards  evening  it  freshened,  we  made 
from  eight  to  nine  miles  an  hour.  Up  to  this  period  our  voyage 
had  been  most  prosperous,  continually  fair  wind  and  the  sea  very 
smooth.  During  three  days  we  had  seen  a  brig  at  the  distance 
of  some  miles  from  us,  which  was  going  on  the  same  course,  but 
our  ship  being  a  better  sailer,  we  left  it  to-day  considerably  behind. 

On  the  7th  of  July,  weather  dull,  with  occasional  rain ;  which 
rendered  it  cold  and  uncomfortable.  Latitude  46°  50',  longitude 
30°  31' ;  wind  towards  afternoon  rather  strong,  sea  running  very 
high  with  the  wind  in  our  stern;  this  increased  the  motion  of  our 
ship,  which  was  constantly  pitching  from  one  side  to  the  other. 
What  was  not  properly  fastened  gave  way.  This  gave  rise  to  many 
droll  scenes.  The  ladies,  who  were  unaccustomed  to  this  new  un 
pleasantness  attending  a  sea  voyage,  became  frightened;  they 
conceived  that  danger  was  near,  and  we  had  considerable  trouble 
in  allaying  their  fears.  One  of  them  entreated  in  the  most  af 
fecting  manner,  several  gentlemen,  who  were  whilingaway  their 
time  at  a  game  of  whist,  and  others  who  were  engaged  at  back 
gammon,  not  to  bring  down  the  vengeance  of  heaven,  and  not  to 
increase  the  danger  that  surrounded  us,  by  sinful  card-playing  and 
unholy  back-gammon!  But  there  was  no  danger  whatever  to 
apprehend,  though  the  rolling  of  the  vessel  was  unpleasant;  the 
passengers  scarcely  knew  where  to  go,  or  what  to  do,  for  it  was 
even  impossible  to  sleep,  inasmuch  as  the  shocking  rolling 
threatened  us  with  a  fall  from  our  beds. 

We  pursued  our  course  swiftly  during  the  8th  of  July.  Lati 
tude  47°  58',  longitude  25°  10'.  In  the  forenoon  the  sea  was 
calmer,  but  during  the  afternoon,  and  particularly  in  the  evening, 
it  ran  so  high  that  the  ship  pitched  more  than  yesterday.  The 
weather  was,  during  the  whole  of  the  day,  unpleasant,  cloudy, 
and  rainy,  and  it  was  with  the  greatest  difficulty  that  we  kept 
our  feet  on  the  wet  deck.  In  the  evening,  I  observed  again  in  the 
sea  the  phosphoric  light;  some  parts  of  the  water  sparkled  like 
fireflies.*  We  overtook  a  brig,  apparently  bound  on  our  course; 

*  [This  light  is  emitted  by  molluscous  animals,  which  are  exceedingly  abun 
dant  in  some  parts  of  the  ocean.  They  are  also  seen  to  great  advantage  during1 
the  night,  in  the  Chesapeake  bay.]— TRANS. 


212 

on  this  occasion  we  once  more  remarked  what  a  good  sailer  the 
Pacific  is,  for  when  we  discovered  the  brig,  she  was  far  ahead  of 
us,  and  although  she  had  all  her  sails  set,  we  not  only  soon  over 
took  her,  but  soon  left  her  far  behind  us.  We  did  not  approach 
her  sufficiently  near  to  speak.  During  this  damp  weather,  I 
acknowledged  the  superior  construction  of  the  Pacific  to  that 
of  the  Pallas;  whilst  in  the  latter  the  moisture  penetrated  through 
out,  and  exerted  its  noxious  influence  on  a  variety  of  articles 
liable  to  rot,  and  spread  through  the  whole  vessel  an  insup 
portable  foul  smell;  every  thing  in  the  Pacific  was  dry,  and 
in  our  cabin  we  had  not  suffered  at  all  from  the  existing  hu 
midity. 

The  night  of  the  8th  and  9th  of  July  I  passed  very  unpleasant 
ly,  owing  to  the  rolling  of  the  vessel;  I  was  every  moment  on  the 
point  of  falling  out  of  my  bed,  and  it  was  only  towards  six  o'clock 
in  the  morning  that  I  began  to  enjoy  some  repose.  The  day 
brought  with  it  clear  weather.  The  wind  had  been  so  favoura 
ble  for  the  last  twenty-four  hours,  that  we  found  ourselves  in  la 
titude  48°  40',  and  longitude  19°  12'.  In  the  afternoon  the  wind 
became  variable  and  blew  from  various  quarters;  we  experienced 
several  squalls  accompanied  by  showers  of  rain.  At  last  it  set  in 
strong  from  the  north-west,  and  drove  us  forward  at  the  rate  of 
eleven  miles  per  hour.  Towards  evening  we  came  up  with  a 
vessel  bound  from  Savannah  for  Liverpool,  spoke  her,  and  gave 
her  our  longitude.  Their  reckoning  differed  from  ours,  as  they 
believed  themselves  to  be  in  longitude  16°.  The  sea  ran  rather 
high  while  we  were  in  the  neighbourhood  of  this  vessel,  so  that 
we  could  not  have  a  long  talk  with  her,  nor  even  rightly  under 
stand  her  name.  We  left  her  far  behind  us. 

On  the  10th  of  July,  the  wind  continued  favourable,  there  was 
a  heavy  swell  of  the  sea,  and  much  motion  in  the  vessel.  The 
weather  clearing  off  towards  noon,  we  were  enabled  to  make  ex 
act  observations,  which  we  could  not  do  for  some  days  before,  on 
account  of  the  cloudy  weather.  It  appeared,  that  we  had  made 
a  small  mistake  in  our  computation  of  the  longitude,  for  by  the 
precise  observation  of  this  day,  we  found  our  latitude  to  be  fifty 
degrees  twenty-two  minutes,  and  our  longitude  seventeen  de 
grees.  We  saw  already  several  birds,  a  proof  that  we  were  ap 
proaching  land';  we  continually  saw  petrels  and  mother  Carey's 
chickens.  The  more  we  sailed  northwards,  we  felt  the  air  be 
coming  cooler,  which  created  in  me  no  pleasant  sensation. 

The  llth  of  July  was  rather  windy  and  rainy;  in  other  res 
pects  matters  remained  in  statu  quo.  Latitude  fifty  degrees  thirty 
minutes,  longitude  twelve  degrees  fifty-five  minutes.  We  hoped 
to  find  ourselves  on  the  next  day  on  the  Nymph  bank,  which 
stretches  from  the  south  of  Ireland,  far  into  the  sea,  nor  were  we 


213 

deceived  in  our  expectations,  for  very  early  on  the  12th  of  July, 
we  experienced  an  uncommonly  heavy  motion,  and  the  waves 
ran  as  high  as  in  a  storm,  although  the  wind  was  not  strong. 
This  served  as  an  assurance,  that  we  had  attained  the  Nymph 
bank.  The  motion  of  the  sea  here  is  caused  by  the  pressure  of 
great  masses  of  water  upon  the  bank,  whereby  the  under  water 
is  cast  up,  and  driven  with  great  force  towards  the  surface.  The 
lead  was  hove  for  soundings  several  times  since  midnight,  as 
we  lay  still  too  far  to  the  south,  to  be  governed  by  landmarks; 
had  the  weather  not  been  so  hazy,  we  could  easily  have  dis 
tinguished  Cape  Clear,  the  south-westernmost  point  of  Ireland, 
consisting  of  a  single  high  rock,  jutting  out  into  the  sea,  and  pro 
vided  with  a  light-house.  While  we  were  seated  at  dinner,  land 
was  discovered.  We  mounted  on  deck,  and  beheld  the  high 
coast  of  the  county  of  Cork  in  Ireland;  the  weather  continued  so 
hazy  and  rainy,  that  we  could  not  have  a  clear  and  fine  view  of 
the  land.  I  was  surprised  at  the  indifference  with  which  I 
contemplated  the  first  European  land  that  now  met  my  view, 
and  particularly  when  I  compared  this  indifference  with  the  joy 
ful  enthusiasm,  with  which,  one  year  past,  on  the  24th  of  July. 
I  put  my  foot  for  the  first  time  on  the  soil  of  America!  But  at 
that  time  every  thing  was  new  to  me,  and  my  expectations  were 
wrought  up  to  the  highest  pitch ;  now  on  the  contrary,  I  could 
only  expect  to  see  what  was  generally  familiar.  After  din 
ner  we  perceived  off  the  coast  of  Ireland,  two  islands  with  high 
hills,  called  the  Saltees,  and  near  them  a  three-masted  ship,  as  a 
floating  light  at  anchor.  We  met  likewise  a  steam-boat,  bound 
from  Milford  in  Wales,  to  Waterford  in  Ireland.  It  lay  rather 
low  in  the  water,  and  as  the  wind  blew  strong  from  the  west, 
the  sea  ran  so  high,  that  I  did  not  at  all  envy  the  condition  of 
the  passengers  in  the  steam-boat,  over  whose  deck  the  waves 
were  constantly  beating.  The  sight  of  land  made  our  passen 
gers  more  cheerful,  and  towards  evening  we  became  more  happy 
than  usual. 

On  the  morning  of  the  13th  of  July,  the  wind  was  uncom 
monly  mild,  the  weather,  however,  cleared  up,  so  that  we  gra 
dually  discovered  the  lofty  and  mountainous  coast  of  Wales. 
Among  these  high  mountains,  we  particularly  distinguished  that 
of  Snowdon,  which  towered  above  the  others,  until  its  pinnacle 
became  lost  in  the  clouds;  it  is  about  four  thousand  feet  high. 
We  descried  the  Isle  of  Anglesea  next,  and  came  so  near  it,  that 
we  could  perceive  distinctly  its  rough,  high  and  precipitous  rocks, 
arising  from  the  ocean.  On  the  highest  of  these  rocks,  stands  a 
watch-house  with  a  signal  pole;  we  showed  our  number;  every 
vessel  that  trades  with  Liverpool,  is  there  furnished  with  a  num 
ber,  under  which  it  is  inscribed  in  the  book  of  the  exchange,  and 


214 

our  signal  was  immediately  hoisted  over  the  watch-house.  By  a 
chain  of  telegraphs,  the  news  of  our  arrival  reached  Liverpool 
in  a  moment,  at  the  distance  of  sixty  miles.  Under  the  high 
rock  of  Anglesea,  is  a  smaller,  more  isolated  rock,  on  which  stands 
a  white  light-house,  which  contrasts  charmingly  with  the  dark 
rocks.  From  the  higher  rock,  a  zigzag  path,  cut  in  the  rock  and 
surrounded  with  a  white  wall,  leads  to  a  bridge,  suspended  by 
ropes,  over  which  you  enter  this  little  island.  As  we  approached 
it  towards  noon,  the  wind  sprang  up,  and  we  enjoyed  the  majes 
tic  spectacle  of  the  waves  breaking  on  the  black  rocks.  Then  we 
made  the  highlands  of  Holyhead,  doubled  them  and  directed  our 
course  to  the  east.  Behind  the  cape,  the  beautifully  situated 
town  of  Holyhead  with  its  harbour  Durst  upon  our  view.  This 
English  harbour  is  the  nearest  to  the  Irish  coast;  between  it  and 
Dublin  there  is  a  regular  communication  by  .steam-boats.  We 
tacked  and  stood  over  to  the  coast  of  Wales,  and  were  delighted 
with  the  appearance  of  its  fresh  green  soil;  its  neat  houses  and 
churches.  The  green  hedges  with  which  the  fields  and  meadows 
are  encompassed,  produce  a  very  pleasing  sensation;  I  however 
observed,  that  there  was  a  great  scarcity  of  trees.  The  scenery 
towards  the  sea  side  began  likewise  to  be  more  lively,  as  there 
was  a  great  number  of  vessels  in  view.  At  last  the  pilot-boat 
came  up,  and  put  a  pilot  on  board.  As  one  approaches  England 
from  the  European  continent,  the  elegant  construction  of  these 
one-masted  cutter  pilot-boats  and  their  quick  sailing,  excites 
astonishment;  but  if  one  is  bound  from  the  United  States,  and 
has  beheld  their  elegant  shipping,  and  particularly  the  New  York 
pilot-boat  schooners,  there  is  no  reason  for  surprise,  for  the  Eng 
lish  shipping  is  far  inferior  to  the  American. 

Toward  evening,  the  ebb  was  against  us;  we  could  no  longer 
run  into  Liverpool,  and  were  obliged  to  cast  anchor  within  fifteen 
miles  of  the  city.  We  had  passed  the  same  floating  light,  which 
I  observed  three  years  ago,  in  a  voyage  from  Liverpool  to  Dublin, 
and  we  lay  near  four  light-houses,  two  of  which  gave  a  remark 
ably  clear  and  beautiful  light;  the  light  of  one  of  these  towers 
played  gracefully  on  the  waves.  These  towers  were  a  consider 
able  distance  from  each  other,  and  are  so  situated,  that  two  must 
be  brought  in  a  line,  to  find  the  proper  course.  I  had  observed 
on  the  coast  of  Wales,  some  white  pyramids,  which  also  serve  as 
landmarks.  We  met  to-day  several  steam-boats,  bound  to  differ 
ent  ports  along  the  Irish  coast.  Dr.  Garret,  whose  business  led 
him  to  Ireland,  availed  himself  of  this  opportunity  to  proceed 
to  Dublin,  and  left  us  while  we  were  still  under  way.  We  be- 
the  departure  of  this  lively  fellow-passenger  with  much  re- 

•ct,  a:  the  loss  of  his  good  humour  and  wit,  greatly  depressed 
spirits.  Three  custom-house  officers  soon  came  on  board, 


215 

who  after  inspecting  the  vessel  for  form  sake,  and  partaking  of  a 
hearty  collation,  instantly  freed  us  from  their  company.  We 
were  hoarded  by  several  hoats,  which  offered  to  take  passengers 
ashore;  but  as  it  was  near  dusk,  and  as  the  most  of  us  were  in  no 
hurry,  only  two  of  our  fellow-passengers  accepted  their  propo 
sals.  This  was  the  nineteenth  day  since  our  departure  from  Sandy 
Hook,  and  we  could  not  be  too  thankful  to  Providence  for  his 
protection,  and  our  happy  and  speedy  voyage.  As  it  was  known 
in  Liverpool,  that  we  were  to  sail  on  the  16th  ultimo,  from  New 
York,  our  friends  anxiously  awaited  our  arrival. 

On  the  14th  of  July,  between  two  and  three  o'clock  in  the 
morning  every  body  was  already  stirring  on  board  of  our  ship; 
we  hoisted  anchor  and  set  sail,  with  a  favourable  wind,  to  reach 
Liverpool  by  daybreak.  This  city,  as  is  known,  is  situated  on 
the  right  bank  of  the  Mersey,  in  Lancashire;  seen  from  the  water, 
it  presents  a  charming  prospect.  To  the  right  you  behold  the 
coast  of  Chestershire,  and  a  deep  bay  which  stretches  to  the  city 
of  Chester.  This  coast  is  not  handsome  at  first  view,  but  becomes 
more  agreeable  after  doubling  a  very  dangerous  rocky  point, 
which  runs  from  the  left  bank  of  the  Mersey,  not  far  from  the 
harbour  of  Liverpool,  and  on  which,  during  gales,  vessels  are 
often  liable  to  be  wrecked.  You  then  discover  on  this  coast 
beautiful  country-seats,  and  in  the  back  ground  pleasant  villages. 
Captain  Croker  wished  to  avail  himself  of  the  rising  tide  to  run 
into  the  Prince's  dock;  this  required  much  manoeuvering,  and  at 
last  we  took  in  sail.  After  an  hour's  labour  we  ultimately  reached 
the  dock.  The  dock  was  so  crowded  with  ships,  that  the  Pacific 
took  her  place  fourth  from  the  wharf.  I  went  ashore,  and  took 
up  my  lodgings  at  the  King's  Arms  Hotel,  in  Castle-street,  an 
excellent  hotel,  in  which  I  lodged  three  years  ago.  The  landing 
of  my  baggage  went  on  very  slowly,  because  it  had  to  be  carried 
over  three  vessels.  When  landed,  it  was  carried  to  the  so  called 
old  dock,  to  a  toll-house,  situated  in  the  interior  of  the  city.  This 
toll-house  is  an  old,  narrow,  smoky  building,  by  no  means 
worthy  so  rich  a  trading  emporium  as  Liverpool.  Before  I 
could  have  my  baggage  examined,  I  was  obliged  to  present  my 
self  at  the  alien-office,  to  produce  my  passport;  it  was  taken 
from  me,  and  I  received  a  passport  ad  interim,  in  lieu  thereof. 
Upon  the  whole,  I  had  to  undergo  a  great  many  formalities.  In 
AMERICA,  it  was  quite  the  contrary:  there  they  never  thought  of 
asking  me  for  a  passport.  Ultimately  I  received  permission  to 
have  my  baggage  examined,  which  was  done  in  the  politest  man 
ner  possible. 


216 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Stay  in  England,  and  return  to  Ghent. 

AMONG  the  gentlemen  who  shortly  after  my  arrival  in  Liver 
pool  favoured  me  with  a  visit,  was  the  American  consul,  Mr. 
Maury.  He  is  a  native  of  Virginia,  about  eighty  years  of  age, 
and  a  school-mate  of  President  Jefferson.  He  is  the  American 
consul  who,  after  the  treaty  of  Versailles,  came  to  England  with 
credentials  signed  by  WASHINGTON. 

The  gloomy  and  smoky  appearance  of  the  city  of  Liverpool, 
as  well  as  its  many  narrow  and  partly  angular  streets,  had  no 
pleasant  effect  upon  me.  However,  I  found  the  pavements  much 
better  than  in  America.  I  visited  several  splendid  porcelain 
shops,  which  article  is  made  in  the  vicinity  and  in  Staffordshire. 
The  chinaware  is  very  fine,  the  painting  and  gilding  good,  and 
this  ware  also  is  very  durable.  In  these  stores  one  likewise  finds 
Wedgewood  white  and  blue  crockery,  and  the  so  called  stone- 
china,  representing  landscapes  and  all  kinds  of  figures,  and  in 
solidity  much  resembling  the  porcelain  of  Tournay. 

I  afterwards  visited  the  House  of  Correction,  which  was  built 
seven  years  ago,  and  is  a  mile  and  a  half  distant  from  the  city. 
This  institution  is  the  central  prison  of  Lancastershire,  and  con 
tains  prisoners  whose  time  of  imprisonment  does  not  exceed  three 
years.  Those  who  have  to  undergo  a  more  severe  punishment, 
are  generally  transported  to  New  South  Wales.  I  had  a  written 
permission  from  a  magistrate  to  visit  the  establishment,  through 
which  I  was  accompanied  by  the  governor;  the  building  stands 
on  a  rising  ground,  enjoys  a  free  circulation  of  air,  and  can  ac 
commodate  eight  hundred  prisoners;  at  this  period  they  amount 
ed  to  six  hundred  and  fifty. 

The  prisoners  are  divided  into  twenty -one  classes,  thirteen  for 
the  men  and  eight  for  the  women,  according  to  the  extent  of  Jheir 
crimes  and  ages.  Those  who  are  prisoners  for  the  first  time  are 
dressed  in  gray  and  yellow  garments;  those  incarcerated  for  the 
second  time,  in  blue  and  red;  and  those  requiring  particular  at 
tention  are  dressed  in  complete  suits  of  blue  or  gray.  The  treat 
ment  observed  towards  women  and  children  is  pretty  much  the 
same,  for  even  the  children  are  divided  into  different  classes,  and 
entirely  separated  from  the  grown  persons. 

For  food  the  prisoners  have  daily  either  meat  or  fish.     On 


217 

Sunday  there  is  service  in  the  chapel,  but  for  each  sex  separately, 
and  every  morning  there  are  prayers.  The  prisoners  were  for 
merly  principally  employed  in  spinning  or  weaving  cotton;  but 
as  for  some  months  this  article  had  much  fallen  in  value,  the 
working  of  the  prisoners,  except  those  engaged  on  the  tread-mill, 
had  in  some  measure  ceased,  and  the  greater  portion  of  them  were 
idle. 

Whipping  is  expressly  forbidden  in  the  prison.  The  most  se 
vere  punishment  which  the  governor  is  allowed  to  inflict,  is  three 
days  solitary  confinement.  Should  it  become  necessary  to  exer 
cise  a  greater  punishment,,  application  must  be  made  to  a  com 
mittee  of  magistrates,  who  meet  weekly  in  the  prison,  and  the 
punishment  is  left  to  their  option.  A  court-house,  built  of  sand 
stone,  adjoins  the  prison.  The  grand  entry  is  ornamented  with 
a  portico  of  six  Ionic  columns:  it  communicates  with  the  prison 
by  a  small  back-door,  through  which  the  prisoners  are  conducted 
unperceived  into  court.  It  is  two  stories  high,  has  large  rooms, 
and  is  handsomely  laid  out.  The  hall  for  the  public  sessions  is 
extremely  elegant,  and  is  the  whole  height  of  the  building.  The 
antechambers  are  destined  for  the  jury,  witnesses  and  judges,  to 
meet  in  private,  and  for  the  different  offices  attached  to  the  court. 
One  of  them  is  a  dressing-room  for  the  judges  and  lawyers;  there 
are  several  shelves  in  it  for  Jheir  wigs  and  cloaks;  for  in  the  Eng 
lish  courts  the  judges  and  lawyers  must  in  open  court  be  dressed 
in  powdered  wigs. 

After  I  had  inspected  this  interesting  prison,  we  went  to  visit 
the  institution  for  the  blind,  of  which  I  had  heard  such  a  high 
character.  Unfortunately,  the  hour  for  the  admission  of  strangers 
had  passed,  and  notwithstanding  all  our  intreaties,  we  were  de 
nied  admission  by  a  handsome  girl,  who  opened  the  door. 

We  next  visited  a  small  museum,  which  was  pretty  much 
on  the  plan  of  those  in  America,  and  like  most  of  these  es 
tablishments,  was  furnished  with  a  hand-organ,  on  which  they 
played  at  certain  hours,  to  induce  people  to  enter.  This  mu 
seum  possesses  rare  stuffed  animals,  viz.  a  large  ant-eater,  and  a 
quantity  of  foreign  lizards  and  snakes;  many  living  ones  of  the 
same  kind  I  had  seen  in  America;  they  are  attached  in  a  very 
natural  manner  to  moss-covered  rocks.  It  has  likewise  a  collec 
tion  of  foreign  birds  and  shells;  garments  and  weapons  of  the 
savages  of  America,  and  the  Southern  Islands  ;  a  boa  constrictor 
coiled  round  and  choking  a  young  antelope,  &c.  A  Miss  Brown, 
a  young  person,  born  without  arms,  was  to  be  seen  working  with 
her  feet  in  the  most  ingenious  style.  She  eats  not  only  with  her 
feet,  but  likewise  pours  out  a  glass  of  wine,  and  carries  it  to  her 
mouth  without  spilling  a  drop  ;  she  mends  a  pen,  and  writes  very 
distinctly  with  her  right  foot;  she  threads  a  needle,  sews,  &c. 

VOL.  II.  28 


218 

On  the  16th  of  July,  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  I  departed 
from  Liverpool  in  the  stage  for  Birmingham,  with  the  intention 
of  soon  proceeding  to  the  continent.  The  English  stages  are 
better  closed,  and  run  easier  than  the  American,  but  I  prefer  the 
latter,  because  their  seats  are  more  comfortable.  The  distance 
from  Liverpool  to  Birmingham  is  one  hundred  and  one  miles; 
the  turnpike  is  most  excellent,  and  the  road  even  the  whole  way. 
On  one  side  of  the  turnpike,  along  the  whole  length  of  the  road, 
there  is  a  side-  walk  for  pedestrians  ;  it  has  a  pebbly  surface,  and 
is  enclosed  on  both  sides  with  sandstone,  to  heighten  the  pave 
ment.  Wherever  this  side-walk  is  not  paved,  it  is  at  least 
smoothed  and  lined  with  small  sods;  at  equal  distances  two  posts 
are  driven  into  the  ground,  to  prevent  the  passage  of  horsemen  and 
wheelbarrows.  I  admired  the  peculiar  care  with  which  the 
stones  destined  for  the  repairs  of  the  highway,  are  broken  into 
the  smallest  pieces.  With  such  stones  it  is  easy  to  make  a  good 
road,  and  the  Americans  and  other  nations  might  well  take  exam 
ple  from  the  British,  whenever  they  wish  to  have  a  good  road, 
or  to  repair  one.  The  number  of  villages  that  lay  upon  our 
route  had  a  very  handsome  appearance.  The  dwellings  of  the 
farmers  are  small,  but  they  have  a  very  neat  appearance,  owing 
to  the  straw-thatched  roofs,  variegated  with  small  windows,  the 
bowers  in  front  of  the  doors,  and  th^  garlands  of  roses  and  ivy, 
which  twine  gracefully  along  the  walls;  the  little  flower-gar 
dens  by  the  road  side,  also  enhance  the  charms  of  these  cottages. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  towns  have  narrow  streets,  and  a  gloomy, 
smoky  look. 

Soldiers  are  garrisoned  in  the  towns  as  far  as  Wolverhampton. 
This  arrangement  had  been  made  for  some  months  past,  because 
several  large  manufactories  in  this  neighbourhood  had  stopped 
working,  and  the  famishing  artizans  had  adopted  forcible  mea 
sures  in  order  to  procure  bread.  The  country  is  very  well  cul 
tivated;  mostly  with  wheat  and  barley.  The  wheat  appeared 
already  nearly  ripe;  the  straw  was  however  very  small,  owing 
to  the  want  of  rain.  The  green  and  blooming  hedges  that  ran 
along  the  fields  had  a  delightful  aspect.  In  comparing  the  beau 
tiful  and  large  trees  of  America,  with  those  of  this  country,  I 
was  astonished  at  the  contrast  between  the  two,  the  latter  con 
sisting  of  low  and  miserable  woodland.  However,  in  the  parks 
and  large  gardens,  several  of  which  I  saw,  there  are  many  fine 
trees;  but  it  is  on  account  of  these  many  parks  of  the  nobility, 
that  a  great  quantity  of  land  remains  uncultivated,  which,  in  a 
country  so  populous  as  England,  becomes  a  matter  of  the  highest 
importance. 


Newcastle  and  Stone  we  passed  through  a  village 
Trentham,  where  the  Marquis  of  Stafford  possesses  a  large 


219 

castle,  situated  in  an  extensive  park;  to  the  left  of  the  road  stand 
large  square  masses  of  stone,  said  to  be  the  burial  place  of  the 
Stafford  family.  Near  the  town  of  Stafford,  which  is  the  capital 
of  Staffordshire,  the  old  castle  of  Stafford  is  erected  on  a  high 
hill.  Two  of  its  towers  are  still  remaining,  several  rooms  of 
which  are  fitted  up  for  a  sporting  rendezvous.  In  former  times 
it  is  said  to  have  been  a  very  important  fortress,  but  was  destroy 
ed  during  the  protectorate  of  Cromwell.  Staffordshire  is  cele 
brated  for  its  manufactures  of  earthenware;  there  are  two  very 
respectable  establishments  of  this  kind  at  Newcastle-under-Lyne, 
the  most  excellent  of  which  is  that  of  Wedgewood  in  Etruria, 
situated  two  miles  from  the  aforesaid  town.  We  passed  seve 
ral  cotton  manufactories,  and  a  silk  factory  near  Congleton,  a 
town  on  the  other  side  of  Knutsford,  containing  six  thousand 
souls. 

We  crossed  at  several  times  to-day  two  excellent  canals,  one 
belonging  to  the  Sankey  Navigation  Company,  and  the  other  to 
the  Duke  of  Bridge  water.  We  drove  twice  under  this  canal.  In 
Stafford  I  observed  a  very  decent  looking  court-house,  and  upon 
a  hill  the  central  prison  of  Staffordshire.  I  also  remarked  to-day 
several  coal-mines;  particularly  at  the  last  post  between  Wolver- 
hampton  and  Birmingham  they  are  very  numerous.  For  a  consi 
derable  distance  no  sign  of  cultivation  was  to  be  seen;  nothing 
was  to  be  seen  but  coal  and  iron-works,  with  steam-machines  and 
colossal  chimneys  in  the  form  of  obelisks,  and  high  flaming  fur 
naces.  This  district  had  the  appearance  of  a  conflagrated  city, 
several  of  whose  houses  were  still  burning;  the  sulphurous  smell 
that  pervaded  the  atmosphere,  almost  took  the  breath  away.  As 
we  approached  Birmingham,  these  works  began  to  disappear;  we 
passed  through  pleasant  villages  interspersed  with  charming 
blooming  gardens,  and  every  thing  foretold  that  we  were  ap 
proaching  a  large  and  wealthy  city.  This  impression  was 
strengthened  on  our  seeing  the  citizens  returning  from  the  coun 
try  in  their  holy-day  suits.  It  was  about  nine  o'clock  in  the 
evening,  when  we  reached  Birmingham.  I  took  up  my  quarters 
in  the  Royal  Hotel,  an  excellent  tavern,  where  I  resided  three 
years  previous.  In  a  public  advertisement,  stating  the  advan 
tages  connected  with  this  establishment,  travellers  are  notified 
that  it  is  located  in  the  pleasantest  part  of  the  town,  whereas  the 
finest  prospect  it  presents,  opens  upon  a  burial  ground,  which 
also  answers  as  a  promenade  for  the  inhabitants,  and  as  a  play 
ground  for  children. 

In  Birmingham  three  years  past,  I  spent  several  days;  I  wish 
ed,  however,  to  see  several  things  once  more,  and  therefore  so 
journed  a  few  days  in  this  city.  I  went  to  Mr.  Thomason's  show 
room,  where  every  thing,  manufactured  in  Burmingham,  is  to  be 


220 

seen.  Several  rooms  contain  uncommonly  tasteful  plated  ware, 
o  thers  trinkets,  medals,  curiosities,  steel  ware,  guns,  works  in 
papier  mache,  crystals,  &c.  The  well  known  Warwick  castle 
Vase,  I  again  saw  of  multifarious  dimensions;  firstly,  of  the 
full  size  in  bronze,  for  which  Mr.  Thomason  had  expressly 
built  a  small  house  adjoining  his  own;  then  another  of  smaller 
dimensions,  likewise  of  bronze,  with  the  marks  and  ornaments 
in  silver,  or  silver-gilt,  which  must  make  a  very  elegant  appear- 
an  ce  at  table.  I  here  likewise  saw  imitations  of  the  greatest  pre- 
cious  stones  known,  in  their  exact  form,  size  and  colour.  This 
collection,  in  a  very  neat  box,  costs  twenty-five  guineas. 

Mr.  Thomason  has  connected  himself  with  an  artist,  who, 
du  ring  his  residence  of  many  years  in  Russia,  had  acquired  at 
Tu  la  the  secret  of  steel  working,  and  was  beginning  to  imitate  it 
here.  In  his  first  essay  he  tried  to  inlay  a  silver  waiter  with  steel ; 
in  this  attempt,  however,  he  did  not  succeed  properly.  Should 
it  succeed,  the  introduction  of  this  invention  into  England,  would 
be  of  great  importance,  as  this  art  being  now  confined  to  Russia, 
is  there  considered  as  a  very  important  secret.  Mr.  Thoma 
son  had  likewise  the  politeness  to  conduct  me  to  an  armory; 
here  an  immense  quantity  of  various  sword-blades  was  shown 
me,  and  also  the  mode  of  trying  them;  they  are  strained  in  a  ma 
chine,  by  which  they  are  bent  to  a  certain  degree,  and  then  un 
bent;  they  are  then  examined,  to  see  if  they  are  not  curved,  then 
a  block  of  steel  is  struck  with  the  flat  of  the  blade,  and  a  wooden 
one  cut  with  the  edge;  and  if  it  is  proof  to  this,  it  is  considered 
sound,  and  stamped.  At  this  moment,  owing  to  the  existence  of 
profound  peace,  there  was  little  work  done  in  this  manufactory, 
consequently  I  could  not  see  the  sharpening  and  polishing  of  the 
blades,  which  takes  place  in  a  particular  workhouse. 

In  lieu  thereof  I  saw  in  it  the  silvering  of  polished  brass  wire. 
This,  first  of  all  consists  of  a  piece  half  an  inch  thick,  which  re 
ceives  a  very  thin  silver  covering;  it  is  heated  in  an  oven,  seized 
with  tongs,  and  drawn  through  different  holes,  which  are  cut  in 
pieces  of  steel,  gradually  diminishing  in  size,  until  they  attain  the 
size  of  a  common  piece  of  wire.  By  this  means  the  wire  may 
be  drawn  out  to  the  thinness  of  a  hair,  and  it  is  remarkable, 
that  it  still  retains  the  silver.  The  tongs  are  pulled  by  a  patent 
chain,  the  links  of  which  are  double  folded,  and  for  the  inven 
tion  of  which,  the  owner  of  this  establishment  has  obtained  a  pa 
tent  from  government.  I  also  visited  another  show-room,  which 
has  only  been  two  years  fitted  up ;  it  is  very  splendidly  arrang 
ed  ;  it  has  a  larger  space  than  Mr.  Thomason's,  but  is  not  so  richly 
and  well  provided. 

In  the  evening  I  went  to  the  theatre;  they  exhibited  the  dis 
agreeable  tragedy  of  Jane  Shore,  after  which  we  had  a  tolerable 


221 

pantomime,  called  the  Village  Festival,  and  it  closed  with  an 
uninteresting  melo-drama,  the  Woodman's  Hut.  In  the  first 
piece  Miss  Lacy,  from  Covent-garden,  personified  the  character 
of  Jane  Shore  most  capitally,  and  was  well  supported  by  several 
of  the  other  actors;  the  piece,  however,  is  abominable  in  itself, 
and  I  can  imagine  nothing  more  disgusting  than  to  behold  an 
unfortunate  being,  struggling  on  the  stage  in  the  arms  of  death. 
In  this  country,  however,  it  is  a  favourite  piece.  They  endea 
voured  to  produce  it  on  the  French  boards,  but  it  would  not  take 
at  all.  The  theatre  is  well  fitted  up:  it  has  a  pit,  two  rows  of 
boxes,  and  a  gallery,  which  can  accommodate  a  great  many  spec 
tators;  on  this  occasion  it  was  likewise  greatly  crowded  by  a 
noisy  mob.  I  found  in  the  boxes  and  pit  fewer  spectators  than 
I  expected,  the  decorations  are  well  painted,  and  the  interior 
lighted  with  gas.  The  provincial  theatres  receive  generally  but 
little  encouragement,  and  their  receipts  only  increase  in  summer, 
when  the  large  London  theatres  of  Covent-garden  and  Drury- 
lane  are  closed,  and  the  celebrated  actors  there  engaged,  make  a 
trip  to  the  provinces. 

On  the  18th  of  July,  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  I  left 
Birmingham  in  a  post-chaise  and  proceeded  by  a  circuitous  route 
to  Oxford.  I  sent  on  my  baggage  by  the  direct  course  in  the 
stage.  I  went  out  of  my  way  for  the  purpose  of  visiting  the 
ruins  of  Kenilworth  and  Warwick  castles.  The  distance  from 
Birmingham  to  Oxford  by  this  road  is  seventy-one  miles,  the 
turnpike  at  times  hilly,  but  invariably  good.  Our  route  lay 
through  Knowles,  a  very  charming  country  town.  Kenilworth,, 
on  the  contrary,  is  a  small  ill-looking  place,  but  inclosing  splen 
did  ruins  of  the  old  castle,  which  have  become  universally  noto 
rious  by  the  romance  of  Kenilworth.  Excepting  the  ruins  of 
Paulinzelle,  those  of  Kenilworth  are  the  most  beautiful  I  ever 
beheld.  The  castle  was  built  at  three  different  periods.  The 
most  ancient  northern  part  erroneously  called  Caesar's  tower,  was 
erected  about  the  year  1120,  by  Geoffrey  de  Clinton,  and  was  a 
fortress  during  the  early  inland  strifes  between  the  barons,  the 
scene  of  many  important  events.  Towards  the  close  of  the  four 
teenth  century,  it  fell  into  the  possession  of  John  of  Gaunt,  who 
added  to  it  the  western  and  largest  wing,  called  after  him  Lan 
caster  buildings.  At  a  later  period  Queen  Elizabeth  bestowed 
it  upon  her  favourite,  the  Earl  of  Leicester,  who,  in  1571,  erected 
the  southern  portion,  called  Leicester  buildings ;  he  also  built 
between  two  towers  a  tilting  yard  for  tournaments,  and  erected 
likewise,  the  large  portico,  which  now  is  occupied  as  a  dwelling. 
In  this  palace  he  entertained  his  queen  with  a  splendid  feast,  that 
lasted  seventeen  days,  and  which  is  described  in  a  particular 
book.  After  the  earl's  death,  the  castle  with  its  extensive  do- 


222 

mains,  escheated  to  the  crown.  Cromwell  partitioned  it  among 
several  of  his  officers,  who  drained  the  ditch,  that  circumscribed 
the  greater  portion  of  the  castle  walls,  and  likewise  destroyed 
the  park,  and  ultimately  the  castle,  to  sell  the  timber.  Nothing 
but  the  tower,  containing  the  portico,  remains  standing,  because 
one  of  the  officers  occupied  two  rooms  over  the  gateway,  he 
turned  this  building  into  a  dwelling  place.  This  is  still  to  be 
seen,  and  is  now  inhabited  by  Lord  Clarendon's  agent,  whose 
forefathers  received  a  grant  of  this  castle  from  Charles  II. 

Through  this  building  you  enter  the  grounds  belonging  to  the 
castle,  after  passing  through  a  file  of  beggarly  children,  who  offer 
you  a  description  of  the  ruins  for  eighteen  pence.  Near  the  old 
house,  called  Gateway,  there  is  a  sign  saying  that  the  chimney- 
piece  may  be  seen  for  sixpence.  A  tidy  girl  receives  this  stipend 
with  a  smart  courtsey,  and  opens  the  door  leading  into  an  old 
room;  it  is  one  of  the  two  which  have  been  made  out  of  the  gate 
way.  The  chimney-piece  was  probably  transported  from  the 
castle  during  the  sacking  of  it.  It  is  of  alabaster,  and  bears  the 
inscription,  " Droit  et  Loyal"  and  on  each  side  the  initial  let 
ters  R.  L.,  Robert  Leicester;  beneath  it  is  Leicester's  coat  of 
arms,  surrounded  by  the  order  of  the  garter;  below  is  inscribed 
the  year  1571,  and  the  motto,  Vivit  post  funera  virtus.  Over 
the  chimney-piece  there  is  a  square  frame,  containing  the  initial 
letters  E.  R.,  Elizabeth  Regina;  in  the  centre  of  it  are  holes, 
which  lead  one  to  believe  that  weapons  were  formerly  fastened 
in  them. 

The  garden  lies  to  the  right  of  this  building.     Close  thereto  is 
the  dungeon,  which  stands  on  rising  ground  between  the  castle 
and  the  moat,  which  is  now  transformed  into  meadow-ground, 
and  it  runs  north,  west,  and  south,  round  the  castle  to  the  tilting 
ground.     The  bank  of  the  moat  was  lined  by  a  wall,  crowned 
with  several  towers,  one  of  which  was  called  the  Swan-tower. 
On  the  left  hand  one  perceives  a  large  yard,  in  the  rear  of  which 
are  the  out-houses,  and  behind  them  lie  the  fortified  walls  with 
several  towers.     On  ascending  to  the  right  of  the  castle,  you 
arrive  at  the  grand  court,  which  is  now  only  encompassed  on 
three  sides  by  ruins  of  edifices;  of  the  buildings  that  were  situated 
on  the  fourth  side,  no  trace  is  remaining.   The  first  ruin  that  you 
discover  on  the  right  is  that  called  Csesar's  tower;  of  this  build 
ing,  which  was  quadrangular,  three  sides  are  still  standing;  the 
walls  are  on  an  average  sixteen  feet  thick.   Here  a  flight  of  stairs 
lead  to  a  door,  now  built  up,  which  opened  to  the  garden.  Here 
is  the  only  fountain  which  has  as  yet  been  discovered  among  the 
ruins.     It  is,  like  the  whole  castle,  built  -of  red  sandstone,  and 
cut,  farther  down,  out  of  the  hard  rock;  it  is  seventy  feet  deep, 
but  is  gradually  filling  up  by  the  many  stones  cast  into  it.     The 


223 

kitchen  adjoins  Caesar's  tower,  and  must  have  been  a  considerably 
large  building,  but  there  are  only  a  few  remains  of  it.  The  place 
where  the  furnaces  and  large  kettles  stood  is  still  perceptible. 

Adjoining  the  kitchen  is  the  strong  tower,  forming  the  north 
west  corner;  it  is  here  that  the  Lancaster  buildings  commence. 
In  this  tower,  which  is  also  supported  by  uncommonly  strong 
walls,  are  several  tolerably  well  preserved  winding  stairs,  by 
means  of  which  one  can  ascend  the  walls  to  enjoy  a  fine  and  de 
lightful  prospect.  Here  are  likewise  cellars,  still  in  good  condi 
tion.  The  corners  of  this  tower  lead  to  small  outer-towers  pro 
vided  with  port-holes,  which  must  have  served  for  the  defence 
of  the  place.  Left  of  this  building  you  reach  the  great  hall.  You 
observe  in  the  basement  story  the  servant's  hall,  vaulted  and 
furnished  with  central  columns,  which  support  the  broken  arches 
to  the  right  and  left.  Over  those  arches  is  still  to  be  seen  where 
the  flooring  of  the  grand  banquet-hall  stood.  The  windows  of 
this  hall  are  very  high,  in  a  Gothic  style,  with  columns  in  their 
centre.  In  the  recesses  of  the  windows  are  still  several  stone 
benches,  and  there  are  also  two  chimney-pieces  to  be  seen  in  this 
hall.  A  smaller  room  is  connected  with  it,  having  likewise  a 
fire-place,  which  served  as  a  chapel;  and  there  is  also  a  small 
closet,  which  the  folks  here  call  Queen  Elizabeth's  dressing- 
room. 

The  great  hall  forms  the  south-west  corner  of  the  castle,  and 
the  ruins  connected  with  it,  belong  to  the  southern  wing.  Close 
to  the  great  hall,  there  are  two  ruins,  of  which  but  little  remains 
to  be  seen,  the  first  is  called  the  white  hall,  the  other  the  presence 
chamber.  The  so  called  privy  chamber  is  next  to  them,  in  which 
a  window  and  fire-place  are  still  distinguishable;  they  say,  that 
the  chimney-piece,  now  in  the  gate-house,  was  taken  from  this 
place.  Here  begins  the  newest  part  of  the  castle,  or  the  Leicester 
buildings.  They  consist  of  a  large,  quadrangular  tower,  four 
stories  high,  in  which  the  place  for  the  staircase,  as  well  as  the 
different  stories,  may  still  be  clearly  distinguished.  And  here 
terminate  these  uncommonly  interesting  and  picturesque  ruins, 
to  the  beauties  of  which  the  creeping  ivy,  which  has  grown  very 
thickly  over  them,  adds  considerably.  Fortunately,  Lord  Cla 
rendon  has  forbidden,  that  any  portion  of  the  ruins  should  be 
taken  away,  for  previous  to  the  prohibition  of  such  an  abuse,  the 
peasantry  were  in  the  habit  of  carrying  away  stones  from  the 
ruins  to  build  their  houses  and  for  repairing  their  garden-walls. 

From  Kenilworth  I  travelled  five  miles  through  a  lovely  coun 
try  to  the  town  of  Warwick,  the  capital  of  Warwickshire,  to 
behold  the  Earl  of  Warwick's  castle,  at  that  place.  Two  miles 
from  this  town,  lie  the  now  much  visited  and  fashionable  springs 
of  Leamington,  where  with  the  exception  of  the  company,  nothing 


224 

remarkable  is  to  be  seen.  Warwick  stands  on  stony  heights,  on 
the  banks  of  the  river  Avon,  contains  about  nine  thousand 
inhabitants,  and  though  a  very  ancient  city,  has  a  tolerably 
agreeable  appearance.  ,  The  principal  church  has  an  ancient  and 
venerable  aspect,  as  also  two  gateways,  the  remains  of  the  old 
city  walls,  now  standing  in  the  middle  of  the  streets.  The 
court-house  is  a  new  edifice,  and  as  the  town  assizes  were  then 
holding,  several  splendid  equipages  were  drawn  up  in  front  of  it. 

I  immediately  afterwards  proceeded  to  the  castle  close  to  the 
city.  It  is  a  very  old  building,  the  foundation  of  which,  it  is  said, 
was  laid  before  the  conquest  of  England  by  the  Normans;  the 
walls  and  towers  still  standing,  which  environ  the  court-yard  of 
the  castle,  are  said  to  have  been  erected  at  that  period.  The  castle 
stands  upon  a  rock  by  the  bank  of  the  Avon,  and  commands  a 
view  of  a  surprisingly  romantic  country.  At  the  foot  of  this  an 
cient  castle,  at  the  water's  edge,  are  the  castle  mills,  which  on  ac 
count  of  their  venerable  appearance,  and  the  waterfall,  caused  by 
a  dam  in  the  river,  greatly  enhance  the  beauty  of  the  scene.  Be 
hind  the  mill  are  to  be  seen  the  ruins  of  a  bridge  which  led  over 
the  river,  and  is  now  overgrown  with  ivy.  Quite  in  the  back 
ground,  one  discovers  the  new  bridge  over  which  the  road  from 
Leamington  runs.  These  groups  produce  an  uncommonly  pleas 
ing  prospect. 

On  approaching  the  castle  from  the  city,  you  see  a  gate  with  a 
Gothic  tower,  which  serves  as  a  habitation  for  the  gate-keeper. 
Hence,  after  inscribing  your  name  in  a  book,  you  continue  on 
your  way  to  the  castle.  This  road  leads  through  the  park,  and  is 
mostly  cut  in  the  rock,  the  sides  of  which  are  very  picturesquely 
overgrown  with  ivy. 

On  attaining  an  open  space,  the  whole  castle  stands  in  view; 
it  is  approached  over  a  stone  bridge,  through  a  gate  furnished 
with  a  portcullis,  and  then  you  find  yourself  in  a  spacious  court 
yard,  the  castle  standing  to  your  left,  in  front,  and  to  the  right 
the  lofty  walls  that  surround  the  court-yard,  studded  with  towers. 
Grated  gates  lead  underneath  the  towers,  to  the  park  that  sur 
rounds  the  castle.  I  entered  the  castle  up  a  handsome  spacious 
staircase,  and  there  I  found  the  neat  house-keeper,  who  for  mo 
ney  and  good  words,  shows  strangers  the  interior  of  the  castle. 

First  you  enter  the  great  hall,  the  walls  are  lined  with  carved 
oak  wood,  and  ornamented  with  scutcheons  and  ancient  arms,  and 
with  three  real  colossal  elk-horns,  the  largest  of  which  was  found 
in  Ireland,  and  the  other  two  in  America"  From  this  hall  there 
is  a  fine  view  into  a  considerble  suite  of  rooms,  and  from  the  win 
dows  the  charming  prospect  of  the  Avon,  and  the  before-men- 
iioncd  mills  and  bridges. 

From  the  hall  you  proceed  into  the  ante-room ;  here  I  admir- 


225 

ed  two  paintings  by  Van  Dyk;  one  represents  a  lady  as  large  as 
life,  belonging  to  the  Brooke  family,  with  her  son ;  the  other  is 
the  portrait  of  Queen  Henrietta  Maria,  the  consort  of  Charles  the 
first.  In  the  same  room  is  to  be  seen,  the  extremely  handsome 
portrait  of  Queen  Johanna  of  Naples,  by  Raphael;  also  the  por 
trait  of  the  Marquis  Spinola,  armed  cap-a-pied,  a  painting  of  Ru 
bens;  the  portrait  of  count  Gondomar,  the  Spanish  ambassador, 
near  the  court  of  James  I.,  a  production  of  Don  Diego  Velasquez 
de  Silva;  and  two  very  charming  landscapes,  by  Poussin,  which 
however,  require  to  be  retouched.  In  the  same  room  there  is  a 
table  inlaid  in  Florentine  mosaic,  two  vases  of  lava,  several  Etrus 
can  vases  and  lances,  which  are  to  be  seen  in  almost  all  the  rooms, 
a  marble  bust  of  the  present  Lord  Warwick,  by  Nollekens,  and 
a  book-case  of  tortoise  shell  inlaid  with  brass. 

Adjoining  this  chamber  is  the  cedar  drawing-room,  so  called, 
because  the  walls  are  wainscoted  with  cedar  wood,  which,  not 
withstanding  its  antiquity,  sends  forth  a  charming  odour.  There 
is  likewise  in  this  room  a  handsome  fire-place,  and  a  marble  table, 
inlaid  with  lava.  Among  the  paintings  are  five  by  Van  Dyk, 
viz.  the  Countess  of  Carlisle,  Charles  I.,  the  Duke  of  Alba,  the 
Marquis  of  Montrose  and  the  landscape  painter,  Martin  Ryck- 
aerds.  Beside  these  there  is  a  Circe  of  Guido,  a  very  beautiful 
piece,  and  two  paintings  of  less  value,  one  by  Romney,  represent 
ing  the  celebrated  E.  W.  Montague  in  a  Turkish  costume,  and 
the  other  by  Patoun,  representing  a  muse. 

Adjoining  this  hall  there  is  a  room,  which,  owing  to  the  heavy 
gildings  on  its  walls,  is  called  the  gilt-room.  Here  are  two  paint 
ings  by  Rubens,  the  one  of  Lord  Arundel,  the  collector  of  the 
celebrated  antiquities  at  Oxford,  known  by  the  name  of  the  Arun- 
delian  marbles,  and  the  other  representing  St.  Ignatius.  This 
piece  was  painted  by  Rubens,  for  the  Jesuits  College  at  Antwerp, 
and  was  transported  hither  from  that  city.  There  is  also  a  well 
painted  portrait  of  Prince  Rupert,  by  an  unknown  artist,  another 
of  the  Prince  of  Orange,  by  Holbein;  the  portrait  of  a  lady,  by 
Sir  Peter  Lely;  several  of  Vandyk's  productions,  one  represent 
ing  Admiral  Russell,  and  another  a  Spanish  General;  by  the  same 
master  hand,  the  portraits  of  Charles  I.,  Lord  Northumberland, 
Queen  Henrietta  Maria,  two  portraits  of  the  celebrated  Lord 
Stafford,  one  of  them  representing  this  unfortunate  statesman  in 
his  earlier,  and  the  other  in  his  latter  years,  the  portrait  of  Lord 
Warwick,  a  full-size  portrait  of  Prince  Rupert,  and  another  of 
the  Marquis  of  Huntley.  Those  portraits  are  altogether  execu 
ted  in  a  masterly  manner.  The  portrait  of  a  lady,  by  Sir  Peter 
Lely ;  two  small  Murillos,  one  representing  a  girl  with  a  pen, 
and  the  other  a  child,  blowing  soap-bubbles;  moreover,  a  portrait 
of  Lord  Lindsay  of  Charles  Ist's  time,  by  Cornelius  Janssen, 

VOL.  II.  29 


226 

•mil  a  Tintoretto,  representing  the  Italian  sage  Davila.  It  is  a 
pity  that  several  of  these  pictures  hung  in  the  shade,  and  that  in 
the  usually  clouded  atmosphere  of  England,  they  cannot  be  pro 
perly  seen.  In  this  as  well  as  in  the  ante-room,  were  several 
vessels  by  Majolica,  ornamented  with  handsome  paintings  copied 
from  drawings  of  Raphael. 

You  next  proceed  to  the  state  bed-room,  hung  with  old  tapestry, 
representing  French  gardens.  The  richly  ornamented  bed  is  said 
to  have  been  fitted  up  by  the  order  of  Queen  Ann.  It  contains  a 
bust  of  the  Black  Prince  in  full  armour  by  Wildon,  and  three 
paintings,  a  full-size  portrait  of  the  Duchess  Margaret  of  Parma, 
by  Titian,  a  family  portrait  by  Sir  Peter  Lely,  and  a  profile  of 
the  unhappy  Earl  of  Essex,  done  by  Zucchero,  an  Italian  painter, 
whom  political  causes  had  driven  from  his  native  land  to  Eng 
land,  where  he  received  protection,  patronage,  and  a  friendly  re 
ception  from  Queen  Elizabeth. 

Next  to  this  room  is  the  small  state  dressing-room,  from  the 
windows  of  which  there  is  an  extensive  and  fine  prospect.  It 
contains  a  precious  collection  of  paintings;  one  by  Paul  Veronese; 
a  very  grand  sketch  by  Rubens,  of  the  four  evangelists;  two  old 
men's  heads  by  the  same  master;  two  landscapes  by  Salvator 
Rosa;  four  Vandyk's,  consisting  of  the  second  Earl  of  Bedford; 
tritons  and  sea-horses;  a  study;  a  sketch  of  St.  Sebastian,  and  a  bac 
chanalian  scene;  two  by  Gerard  Douw,  one  an  excellent  portrait 
of  a  Mrs.  Digby,  abbess  of  a  convent,  and  the  other  an  effect  of 
light,  representing  an  old  woman  eating;  two  by  Teniers,  scenes 
of  witches  and  the  interior  of  a  watch-house,  hung  with  armour; 
three  Holbeins,  the  first  a  portrait  of  Luther,  the  second  the  un 
fortunate  Ann  Boleyn,  and  the  third  her  sister  Catharine  Boleyn, 
aunt  and  tutress  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  and  in  the  midst  of  these 
portraits,  that  of  Henry  VIII.  in  his  childhood.  There  are  two 
pieces  by  Steenwyck,  one  representing  St.  Peter  in  prison,  and 
the  other  his  liberation  therefrom.  Portraits  of  two  of  Charles 
the  second's  mistresses  are  likewise  to  be  seen  here,  as  also  a  copy 
of  a  portrait  of  Henry  IV.  of  France,  by  Patoun. 

A  small  cabinet,  called  the  Compass  Window,  adjoins  the  just 
mentioned  apartment;  it  takes  its  name  from  a  painted  window. 
Among  the  paintings  in  this  room  are  a  battle  piece  by  Schut,  a 
sea-storm  by  Vandervelde,  and  several  invaluable  pieces. 

From  this  cabinet  you  enter  the  chapel  by  a  gallery  which 
runs  in  the  rear  of  the  before-mentioned  room.  I  remarked  in  it 
a  full-length  portrait  of  Charles  I.  on  horseback,  by  Vandyk,  and 
a  half-length  portrait  of  Oliver  Cromwell,  by  R.  Walker.  The 
chapel  is  rather  small,  contains  the  arms  of  the  Warwick  family, 
and  over  the  altar  Gothic  ornaments,  carved  in  wood. 

On  returning  to  the  large  hall,   you  reach  the  dining-room 


227 

through  it.  It  is  a  splendid,  large  hall,  containing  an  ancient 
marble  table,  and  three  large  portraits  of  the  Prince  of  Wales, 
grandfather  of  the  present  king,  his  consort  a  princess  of  Gotha, 
holding  George  III.  in  baby-clothes  on  her  lap;  a  Lord  Brook,  a 
copy  by  Patoun,  who,  as  preceptor  to  Lord  Warwick,  was  more 
of  an  amateur  than  a  painter.  These  paintings  are  devoid  of  taste, 
and  the  best  things  about  them  are  their  heavy  gilt  and  orna 
mented  frames.  Over  the  portrait  of  the  princess  are  the  arms 
of  Saxony. 

Adjoining  the  large  hall  is  likewise  the  breakfast-room.  In 
this  room  are  the  following  most  excellently  executed  paintings: 
Charles  Ist's  children,  by  Vandyk,  and  a  portrait  of  a  female, 
by  the  same  artist;  two  lions,  by  Rubens;  and  a  full-length  por 
trait  of  Admiral  Tromp,  by  Rembrandt.  Three  paintings  by  an 
unknown  master;  the  unfortunate  Mary  Stuart,  with  her  son  as 
a  child;  a  Lord  Brooke,  and  Sir  Philip  Sydney. 

After  I  had  inspected  the  castle,  I  passed  out  through  a  private 
gate  in  the  lofty  wall  of  the  castle-yard,  and  proceeded  to  the  park 
over  a  stone  bridge  that  crosses  the  dry  castle  moat.  Groves  are 
beautifully  interspersed  with  bowling  greens  in  this  park;  a  solid 
pebbled  path  takes  you  round  the  park  in  about  half  an  hour. 
There  are  several  fine  prospects,  and  the  place  is  well  stocked 
with  evergreens,  which  during  the  last  winter,  I  had  many  op 
portunities  of  admiring  in  a  state  of  nature.  Three  years  ago, 
while  journeying  for  the  first  time  through  Great  Britain,  I 
coujd  not  help  admiring  in  the  English  parks,  the  luxurious  abun 
dance  of  evergreens  and  their  lovely  growth ;  but  after  beholding 
these  plants  in  their  native  land,  growing  in  their  full  vigour, 
the  most  splendid  English  gardens  dwindled  into  insignificance, 
when  compared  with  the  beauties  of  nature  in  America.  I  ob 
served  a  number  of  fine  lofty  cedars  of  Lebanon,  which  are  to 
be  found  in  most  of  the  extensive  English  gardens.  In  this  park 
there  is  also  a  very  large  hot-house,  the  plants  raised  in  which 
are  now  elegantly  distributed  throughout1  the  garden.  In  this 
hot-house  I  perceived  the  celebrated  antique  vase,  the  copy  of 
which,  in  bronze,  I  had  seen  at  Mr.  Thomason's  in  Birmingham. 
This  remarkable  antique  was  found  not  far  from  Hadrian's  Villa 
in  the  vicinity  of  Tivoli.  It  was  first  purchased  by  Sir  William 
Hamilton,  then  English  ambassador  at  Naples,  who  sold  it  to 
the  late  Lord  Warwick.  It  is  of  white  marble,  round  in  form, 
and  will  hold  one  hundred  and  sixty-three  gallons.  It  has  two 
handles  of  entwined  vine  branches,  which  with  their  elegant 
leaves  and  heavy  clusters  of  grapes,  wind  themselves  round  the 
upper  part  of  the  vase.  On  the  under  part  is  seen  the  panther's 
skin,  and  on  it  several  well  finished  heads  of  satyrs,  as  well  as 
several  thyrsus  and  augur  staves.  The  vase  is  in  a  state  of  high 


228 

preservation,  and  only  one  satyr's  head  is  replaced;  the  remain 
ing  ornaments  are  not  in  the  least  injured. 

During  my  walk  through  the  park,  I  passed  along  the  bank  of 
the  Avon,  which  runs  at  the  foot  of  the  rock,  on  which  the  castle 
is  built.  On  a  small  black  slate,  attached  to  the  rock,  there  is  an 
inscription,  stating  that  a  young  man,  one  of  the  Bagot  family,  was 
drowned  there  while  bathing.  The  unfortunate  father  has  erect 
ed  this  little  monument  to  the  memory  of  his  son.  On  my  re 
turn  to  the  castle,  I  ascended  one  of  the  towers,  called  Gay's 
tower,  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high;  this  tower  is  very 
well  preserved,  and  is  provided  with  fortifications.  In  the  in 
terior  there  is  a  small  room,  and  from  the  top  of  the  tower  there 
is  a  fine  and  extensive  prospect. 

On  my  return  to  the  city,  the  stage  for  Stratford-on- Avon  was 
about  starting;  I  took  a  seat,  and  after  eight  miles  journey,  found 
myself  once  more  on  the  grand  turnpike  leading  'from  Birming 
ham  to  Oxford. 

Stratford  is  a  small,  inconsiderable,  ill-built  town,  but  cele 
brated  as  the  birth  place  of  SHAKSPE  ARE.  Oneof  the  smallest  houses 
bears  the  following  inscription,  "in  this  house  the  great  Shakspeare 
was  born."  It  is  now  a  butcher's  stall  and  belongs  to  strangers, 
to  whom  Shakspeare's  posterity  were  compelled  by  poverty  to 
dispose  of  it.  It  is  said  that  he  was  born  in  a  room  of  the  upper 
story;  in  this  apartment  are  several  old  pieces  of  furniture,  the 
existence  of  which  they  flatteringly  endeavour  to  trace  from  the 
days  of  Shakspeare,  also  a  poor  portrait  of  the  poet,  and  a  copy 
of  his  will;  and  a  spectacle  case  made  of  the  wood  of  a  mulber 
ry  tree,  which  they  say  was  planted  by  him. 

At  Stratford  I  took  a  post-chaise,  proceeded  on  my  journey, 
and  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening  reached  Oxford,  which  is  thirty- 
nine  miles  from  Stratford.     I  took  up  my  lodgings  in  the  Star 
Hotel.     As  I  had  seen  Oxford  three  years  previous,  I  merely  so 
journed  there  half  a  day,  with  the  intention  of  beholding  once  more, 
in  the  Bodleian  Library,  the  lovely  portrait  of  the  unfortunate 
Mary  Stuart,  painted  by  Zucchero,  and  which  had  formerly  pleas 
ed  me  so  much  that  I  considered  it  as  the  best  likeness  I  had  ever 
seen  of  that  interesting  woman.     I  therefore  proceeded  to  that 
library:  I  hurried  through  the  library  hall,   but  made  a  much 
longer  stay  in  the  gallery  of  paintings.    The  sight  of  the  portrait 
of  Mary  Stuart  renewed  all  my  old  Impressions,  and  I  gazed  in 
tently  upon  it  for  a  considerable  time  with  the  greatest  pleasure. 
I  likewise  remarked  a  collection  of  seven  paintings  by  Schalk, 
effects  of  light,  representing  the  seven  mortal  sins,   very  well 
painted,  moreover  a  number  of  pieces  by  English  painters,  and  a 
number  of  portraits  of  the  patrons  and  benefactors  of  the  univer 
sity,  of  its  chancellors,  and  several  of  the  most  celebrated  literati 


229 

who  had  resided  in  the  university.  Also  a  few  by  Holbein,  among 
which,  the  portraits  of  Luther  and  Erasmus,  pleased  me  the  most. 
A  full-length  likeness  of  Charles  XII.  of  Sweden,  by  Schroeder, 
is  uncommonly  well  finished;  of  the  same  size,  and  next  to  it, 
hangs  the  portrait  of  Frederic  William  I.  King  of  Prussia.  The 
physiognomy  of  the  former,  and  the  entire  form,  are  expressive 
of  the  great  and  original  genius  of  that  monarch;  there  is  some 
thing  abhorrent,  pedantic,  and  tyrannical  in  the  features  of  the 
latter. 

The  library  contains  several  models  of  Grecian  architecture, 
which  are  skilful  imitations  in  plaster;  also  a  model  of  the  Par 
thenon  at  Athens,  which  very  agreeably  recalled  to  my  mind 
Philadelphia  and  the  Bank  of  the  United  States.  Here  is  like 
wise  to  be  seen  a  model  of  the  Amphitheatre  of  Verona,  cut  in  cork, 
and  an  elegant  collection  of  the  Elgin  marble  has  reliefs,  well  imi 
tated  in  plaster.  A  full-length  statue  of  one  of  the  Lords  of  War 
wick,  in  bronze,  representing  him  in  a  warlike  costume,  is  also 
well  worthy  of  the  attention  of  travellers. 

After  having  here  satisfied  my  curiosity,  I  went  to  the  Radcliff 
Library,  which  is  built  in  the  form  of  a  cupola,  in  order  to  enjoy 
a  view  of  the  city  from  its  roof.  Fortunately  the  weather  was 
very  clear,  which  seldom  occurs  in  England,  and  as  there  are  no 
manufactories  and  steam-engines  in  Oxford,  the  atmosphere  is  not 
obscured  by  coal  smoke.  The  city,  owing  to  its  ancient  university 
and  churches,  has  a  singular  appearance,  and  though  I  had  seen 
during  my  travels  a  great  many  cities,  still  I  found  none  to  be 
compared  with  Oxford.  The  university,  its  twenty  colleges,  and 
five  halls,  have  the  appearance  of  so  many  old  castles:  such  is  also 
the  appearance  of  the  Bodleian  Library,  that  stands  near  the  Rad 
cliff  library.  In  the  court-yard  of  the  former,  there  is  a  gate,  in 
which  the  five  orders  of  architecture  are  placed  over  each  other, 
which  produces  a  strange  effect.  Near  the  gate  are  four  Tuscan 
pillars,  over  these  four  Doric,  above  these  four  Ionic,  and  again 
over  these  four  Corinthian,  and  this  strange  conjunction  is  termi 
nated  by  four  Roman  columns.  Two  columns  are  always  joined 
together.  Between  the  fourth  row,  the  statue  of  James  I.  stands 
in  a  niche,  next  which,  on  the  right,  as  I  believe,  there  is  a  Mi 
nerva,  and  on  the  left  the  university  is  personified  by  a  kneeling 
figure,  to  whom  the  learned  king  most  graciously  tenders  his  own 
works.  Four  thousand  students  are  said  to  belong  to  the  univer 
sity,  but  there  were  very  few  then  present,  it  being  vacation 
time.  Therefore  the  city  with  its  ancient  buildings,  looked 
rather  dull. 

At  twelve  o'clock,  noon,  on  the  19th  of  July,  I  left  Oxford  in 
the  post-chaise,  and  proceeded  to  London,  which  although  fifty- 
eight  miles  from  Oxford,  I  reached  in  six  hours.  It  is  incredi- 


230 

blc  how  fast  one  travels  on  this  route  and  how  quick  they  change 
horses.  I  was  by  chance  enabled  to  retain  the  chaise  all  the  way 
from  Oxford  to  Hounslow.  The  moment  I  arrived  at  a  post- 
house,  a  servant  came  instantly  to  demand,  whether  I  wished  to 
stop  or  proceed;  no  sooner  did  I  answer  in  the  affirmative,  than 
he  would  call  out  for  horses,  and  the  whole  proceeding  lasted  at 
the  utmost  one  minute.  The  leader  was  brought  out,  ready  har 
nessed,  and  put  to;  the  postillion  followed  on  the  saddle-horse 
from  the  stable,  and  remained  in  the  saddle  while  they  were 
gearing  the  horses;  the  stable  boy  then  requested  his  fee,  and  off 
we  went.  During  this  journey,  I  was  only  detained  three  mi 
nutes  at  each  post.  They  charge  for  carriage  and  horses,  eighteen 
pence  a  mile,  and  the  drink-money,  three  pence  per  mile.  Since 
my  journeying  in  this  country  three  years  previous,  postage  had 
been  raised  three  pence. 

The  road  lay  through  a  cultivated  and  woody  country,  and  we 
traversed  several  rising  grounds.  We  passed  many  fine  large 
country-seats,  surrounded  by  extensive  parks.  From  Salt  Hill, 
which  is  a  very  pretty  little  place,  there  is  on  the  right,  a  charm 
ing  view  of  the  castle  of  Windsor,  two  miles  distant,  on  the  lofty 
round  tower  of  which  was  displayed  the  royal  standard  as  a  sign 
that  the  king  was  there.  The  castle  has  really  a  very  imposing 
appearance.  The  large  Gothic  church  of  Eton  College,  recalled 
unpleasant  recollections  to  my  mind.  For  on  my  visit  to  this 
college,  three  years  past,  they  showed  me  on  a  shelf  a  num 
ber  of  elegantly  tied,  long  birch  rods,  with  which  youth, 
engaged  there  in  study,  are  flogged,  and  for  the  supply  of 
which,  a  regular  contract  is  made  with  the  steward.  In  a  hand 
some  village,  called  Slough,  stands  the  dwelling  of  the  cele 
brated  German  astronomer,  Herschel;  there  is  still  to  be  seen  in 
the  garden,  the  stand  supporting  the  telescope,  forty-eight  feet 
long,  by  five  feet  in  diameter,  with  which  Herschel  made  his 
great  astronomical  discoveries.  Hounslow  is  a  charming  town, 
and  very  lively,  owing  to  its  proximity  to  London.  The  number 
of  stages  and  other  carriage,  which  I  met  writh  in  this  neighbour 
hood,  is  scarcely  to  be  credited.  This  concourse  of  vehicles, 
and  afterwards  the  multitude  of  country-seats,  which  follow  one 
another  in  rapid  succession,  together  with  the  chain  of  towns, 
that  continually  present  themselves,  indicated  clearly,  that  I  was 
approaching  the  greatest  city  in  Europe,  and  perhaps  in  the 
world.  I  remarked  in  Hammersmith  and  in  Kensington,  a  con 
siderable  number  of  new  and  handsomely  built  houses,  that  had 
been  erected  within  the  last  three  years.  We  drove  through  Hyde 
Park  into  Piccadilly  street,  and  thence  into  Albemarle  street, 
where  I  found  excellent  quarters  in  Grillion's  hotel. 

1  made  a  stay  of  six  days  in  London.     To  speak  of  the 


231 

circle  of  my  acquaintance  in  which  I  moved  during  my  residence 
in  this  bustling  city,  would  ill  hecome  this  hook,  and  to  make 
any  mention  of  London  itself  would  be  both  useless  and  super 
fluous.  Consequently,  I  shall  present  but  a  few  particulars. 

Whoever  is  obliged  to  make  many  visits  to  London,  or  whose 
business  takes  him  to  many  houses,  loses  an  enormous  quantity 
of  time;  to  him  one  day  is  as  nothing.  From  my  hotel  to  Mr. 
Goeman's,*  who  resides  in  the  city,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
East  India  company's  stores,  it  took  me  three  quarters  of  an 
hour.  At  first  to  a  stranger,  a  walk  of  this  kind  is  by  no  means 
tedious,  on  account  of  the  great  and  strange  bustle  surrounding 
him.  In  the  stirring  part  of  the  city  there  is  a  store  in  almost 
every  house,  and  as  the  English  are  known  to  possess  much 
taste  in  displaying  their  wares,  these  stores  have  an  amusing,  in 
teresting,  and  charming  appearance.  In  most  of  the  streets  the 
pavement  had  been  cast  aside,  and  the  streets  were  Macadamised; 
an  improvement  which  is  both  beneficial  to  those  who  ride,  and 
to  the  poor-built  houses,  which,  owing  to  the  rolling  of  heavy 
carriages  along  the  pavement,  were  dreadfully  shaken.  I  had  long 
been  aware  that  several  merchants  and  tradesmen  decorated  their 
signs  with  the  names  of  those  members  of  the  royal  family,  by 
whom  they  were  particularly  patronised,  viz.  corset  inventress 
to  the  Dutchess  of  Kent,  &c. ;  this  time  I  remarked  in  Knight's 
bridge,  on  my  way  to  Kensington,  a  sign  bearing  the  inscription 
of  "  only  purveyor  of  asses  milk  to  the  royal  family."  Through 
the  medium  of  Mr.  Goeman,  I  received  from  the  celebrated 
engineer  Brunei,  an  admission  to  visit  the  new  tunnel,  under  the 
Thames;  it  was  a  five  miles  drive  from  my  lodgings.  The  en 
trance  is  near  the  church  of  Rotherhithe.  To  commence  the 
work  they  had  to  dig  a  round  pit  seventy-five  feet  deep,  above 
twenty  feet  in  diameter,  and  walled  in  with  bricks.  In  the  centre 
of  this  pit  they  have  constructed  a  quadrangular  wooden  scaffold. 
On  this  is  erected  a  pumping  machine,  by  which  the  spring  water 
that  gushes  out  from  the  tunnel,  is  pumped  off.  The  water  collects 
itself  in  a  basin  under  the  scaffold.  The  ejection  of  it  is  accomplish 
ed  by  means  of  an  iron  pump,  which  draws  off  the  water  from  the 
basin,  and  forces  it  into  an  iron  tube,  which  passes  out  from  the 
pit.  Another  pump  and  tube  is  in  reserve  to  be  immediately  used, 
in  case  the  former  should  require  repair.  In  the  interior  of  this 
scaffold  there  are  two  buckets,  to  hoist  the  earth  from  out  the  tun 
nel,  one  of  which  comes  up  filled  while  the  other  goes  down  empty. 
These  buckets  have  four  small  iron  wheels,  and  rest  upon  a  board. 
The  moment  it  reaches  the  top,  it  is  received  by  a  workman,  who 

*  A  respectable  London  merchant,  and  native  of  Flanders,  to  whom  I  am 
much  indebted  for  very  important  services. 


232 

carries  it  twenty  feet  along  a  railway,  to  the  place  for  depositing 
the  earth,  and  after  emptying  it  carries  it  back  on  its  board,  that 
it  may  be  let  down  while  the  other  is  coming  up  filled.  The 
place,  into  which  the  earth  is  thrown,  is  a  large  wooden  receiver, 
which  is  erected  in  the  manner  of  a  bridge.  In  the  bottom  of 
this  receiver  are  several  holes,  which  can  be  opened  and  closed 
by  means  of  slides.  The  wagons  destined  for  carrying  away  the 
earth,  drive  underneath  such  a  hole,  the  slide  then  is  drawn  back, 
and  the  wagon  is  filled  with  earth  and  drives  off.  Up  to  this 
time  none  but  silicious  earth  has  been  dug  out  of  the  tunnel, 
and  this  was  appropriated  to  the  filling  up  of  the  swampy  ground, 
near  Southwark.  But  now  they  find  clay,  which  is  used  in  burn 
ing  bricks.  The  machinery,  by  which  the  buckets  are  hoisted 
'and  lowered,  and  that  moves  the  pump,  is  set  in  motion  by  a 
species  of  steam-engine,  called  the  expansive  engine,  an  invention 
of  Mr.  Brunei.  I  did  not  perfectly  comprehend  its  mechanism, 
and  could  only  perceive  that  it  occupies  a  very  small  space,  and 
acts  with  great  facility  ;  there  are  two  boilers  and  two  machines, 
one  of  which  is  unemployed,  but  can  immediately  be  set  in  mo 
tion,  whenever  any  thing  happens  to  the  other,  so  that  nothing 
may  stop  the  work. 

Around  the  wooden  scaffold,  stairs  run  down  to  the  bottom  of 
the  pit.  My  guide,  Mr.  Armstrong,  who  inspects  the  work 
under  Mr.  Brunei's  direction,  conducted  me.  When  arrived  at 
the  bottom  of  the  pit,  we  found  ourselves  at  the  entrance  of  the 
tunnel,  which  then  ran  already,  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet 
under  ground,  to  the  bed  of  the  Thames.  It  was  conceived  that 
about  one-third  part  of  the  work  had  been  completed.  The  tunnel 
consists  of  two  vaults  for  two  passages,  one  of  them  is  for  car 
riages  passing  in,  and  the  other  for  those  going  out.  Along  the 
partition  wall  of  those  two  vaults,  there  is  on  each  side  a  somewhat 
elevated  side-walk  for  pedestrians;  this  wall  is  open  in  some 
places  in  order  to  admit  of  a  communication  between  both  walks. 
It  is  lighted  by  means  of  portable  gas,  which  is  contained  in  cop 
per  barrels. 

The  manner  that  the  work  is  conducted,  cannot  be  clearly 
explained  without  a  drawing.  The  scaffold,  upon  which  the 
workmen  stand  who  are  employed  in  digging  out  the  earth,  con 
sists  of  thirty-six  small  boxes,  lying  in  three  rows  above  each 
other.  This  scaffold  is  at  the  end  of  the  tunnel,  and  rests  exactly 
against  the  earth  to  be  taken  away.  There  are  three  men  in  each 
box,  one  to  break  the  ground  with  a  pick-axe,  the  other  to  shovel 
it  out  of  the  box,  and  the  third  to  throw  it  on  a  cart,  in  which  it 
is  carried  into  the  pit,  whence  it  is  raised  in  the  buckets.  For 
the  safety  of  the  workmen,  cross-timbers  are  used  to  prop  up  the 
earth  that  is  to  be  dug  out.  The  first  workman,  on  beginning 


233 

his  excavation,  removes  the  upper  beam  and  hacks  out  the  earth 
behind  it;  which  done,  he  takes  away  the  second  beam,  and  re 
moves  the  second  tier  of  earth,  then  the  third,  &c.  If  sufficient 
earth,  about  a  foot  wide,  has  been  dug  away  from  behind  the  first 
box,  then  the  two  boxes  adjoining,  begin  the  same  operation. 
During  this  time  the  masons  are  not  idle;  for  they  continue  work 
ing  in  the  same  proportion  at  the  vault  which  has  to  support  the 
earth  above  the  tunnel.  When,  however,  all  the  earth  before  the 
whole  scaffold  has  been  taken  away,  it  is  moved  forward  by  means 
of  steel  screws.  Both  above  and  helow  the  scaffold  there  are 
iron  plates,  with  sharp  edges,  to  facilitate  the  moving  of  it.  On 
this  plan  the  work  proceeds  at  the  rate  of  two  feet  in  twenty-four 
hours;  it  is  hoped  that  it  would  be  completed  in  two  years  time; 
they  have  been  over  a  year  already  working  at  it.  I  regret  very 
much  my  not  having  met  with  Mr.  Brunei,  who  is  likewise  the 
inventor  of  the  block-machine  at  Portsmouth,  and  other  very  use 
ful  engines. 

In  Leicester  square  there  were  two  fine  panoramas ;  one  re 
presenting  the  city  of  Edinburgh,  and  the  other  that  of  Mexico  ;* 
the  former  panoramic  view  was  taken  from  Caltonhill,  and  I  re 
cognized  every  place,  owing  to  my  having  been  there  three  years 
previous.  In  beholding  the  second,  I  regretted  anew  that  my 
affairs  during  the  last  winter  did  not  permit  me  to  undertake  a 
journey  to  Mexico.  The  beautiful  blue  sky  reminded  me  of  the 
happy  days  I  passed  in  New  Orleans,  and  I  recognized  the  lofty 
Andes  from  the  description,  which  I  have  so  often  read  of  them. 
Mexico  deserves,  if  I  am  to  judge  from  the  panorama,  to  be  call 
ed  the  city  of  palaces,  as  it  is  generally  styled.  In  order  to  give 
an  idea  of  the  manners  of  the  people,  the  artist  gives  a  represen 
tation  of  the  circus  on  the  great  square  during  the  time  of  a  bull 
fight,  and  not  far  from  it  a  procession. 

At  Regent's  place  a  diorama  was  to  be  seen.  You  are  conducted 
into  a  pretty  dark  round  saloon,  and  you  perceive  there,  through 
a  square  hole,  a  painting  that  is  lighted  in  a  manner  which  can 
not  be  discovered.  The  painting  represents  a  church  in  Scotland 
called  Rosslyn  chapel.  You  seem  to  be  at  the  entrance  of  the. 
church,  and  you  see  that  the  sun  darts  his  beams  from  the  side 
and  causes  multifarious  shades,  on  account  of  the  bushes  and  trees 
in  front  of  the  windows  of  the  church.  In  the  rear  of  the  church 
you  see  a  small  door,  leading  to  a  yard,  planted  with  underwood, 
and  in  the  back  ground,  a  Gothic  building.  By  and  by  the  sun 
disappears,  and  you  perceive  by  the  effect  of  light,  that  a  storm 
is  approaching ;  then  you  see  the  effect  of  rain,  and  after  this  dig- 
appears,  you  enjoy  the  finest  sunshine.  The  illusion  is  so  per- 

*  [Now  exhibiting  in  New  York.] — THANS. 
Vor.  II.  30 


234 

feet,  that  you  seem  to  hear  the  rain.  In  the  interior  of  the  church 
several  objects  are  represented  with  the  greatest  accuracy,  viz. 
a  part  of  a  scaffold,  to  which  ropes  are  attached,  a  basket  with 
tools,  &c.  The  Gothic  pillars  of  the  church  display  a  particularly 
handsome  view. 

After  having  contemplated  this  painting  for  a  considerable 
time,  a  signal  is  given  with  a  bell.  The  floor  on  which  the  spec 
tators  stand,  turns  to  another  opening  through  which  you  have  a 
view  of  the  city  of  Rouen,  in  France.  Now  the  same  effects  of 
light  as  in  the  other  piece  are  displayed,  and  you  imagine  your 
self  to  be  in  the  place,  which  is  represented  to  your  sight.  But 
the  first  piece  made  the  best  impression  on  me.  The  finest  part 
of  this  diorama  is  the  representation  of  interior  parts  of  buildings. 

I  was  delighted  at  the  fine  view  of  the  newly-finished  build 
ings  of  Regent's  park,  the  construction  of  which  was  begun  dur 
ing  my  visit  three  years  ago.  This  new  quarter  consists  of  palaces. 
At  Mr.  Ackermann's  store  I  enjoyed  a  sight  of  the  greatest  variety 
of  fancy  articles.  It  is  only  to  be  regretted  that  the  works  pub 
lished  at  his  establishment  are  so  very  expensive.  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  becoming  personally  acquainted  with  Mr.  Ackermann, 
this  venerable  philanthropist  is  plain  in  appearance,  but  is  very 
interesting  in  his  conversation.  He  spoke  much  with  me  about 
my  happily  finished  travels,  and  invited  me  to  his  country-seat; 
but  I  was  obliged  to  decline  this  invitation  on  account  of  the 
short  time  which  remained  at  my  disposal.  I  next  visited  the 
store  of  another  German,  a  cutler  and  manufacturer  of  surgical 
instruments,  Mr.  Weiss;  he  is  a  native  of  Rostock,  but  already 
more  than  thirty  years  established  in  this  city,  and  particularly 
in  making  surgical  instruments,  he  is  said  to  be  the  first  manu 
facturer  in  England.  He  showed  me  several  apparatus  and  in 
struments,  among  which  there  was  one  for  removing  a  stone,  with 
out  the  necessity  of  performing  the  operation  of  cutting.  He 
showed  me  the  cast  of  a  stone  as  large  as  a  chesnut,  which  had 
been  extracted  from  the  bladder  of  a  man,  without  any  cutting 
operation.  Moreover,  he  showed  me  a  poison  pump  of  his  own 
invention,  by  means  of  which,  poisons  that  have  been  swallowed, 
may  be  extracted  from  the  stomach.  This  machine  consists  of  a 
brass  tube  which  contains  the  pump;  to  this  is  attached  a  long 
tube  of  elastic  gum,  which  terminates  in  a  sack  of  the  same  sub 
stance  provided  with  holes.  This  tube  is  passed  through  the 
throat  into  the  stomach,  and  when  the  sack  has  entered  the  sto 
mach,  the  poison  is  pumped  through  the  flexible  tube  into  the 
brass  one.  By  turning  the  handle  of  the  pump  the  gum  tube  is 

losed;  then  it  is  forced  down  again,  by  means  of  which  another 
valve  on  the  other  side  of  the  brass  tube  opens,  and  to  this  ano 
ther  elastic  tube  is  attached,  through  which  the  extracted  poison 


235 

is  ejected.  Then  the  handle  is  turned  a  second  time,  which 
closes  this  valve  and  opens  the  first  one,  leading  to  the  tube  that 
is  fixed  in  the  stomach,  and  the  operation  is  continued  until  no 
poison  is  left  in  the  stomuch.  Mr.  Weiss  told  me,  that  some 
weeks  ago,  by  means  of  this  instrument,  his  son  had  saved  the 
life  of  a  girl,  who  had  taken  a  considerable  dose  of  arsenic  in  a 
fit  of  amorous  desperation. 

The  English  nobility  give,  at  certain  times,  in  the  British  in 
stitution,  Pallmall  street,  a  public  exhibition  of  their  collections 
of  precious  paintings.  Just  now  there  was  the  king's  collection 
of  paintings  from  his  palace,  Carlton-house,  because  they  were 
about  to  demolish  this  palace,  and  in  its  place  erect  an  edifice 
after  the  model  of  the  Parthenon  at  Athens,  which  is  calculated 
to  contain  the  works  of  English  artists.  This  is  a  fine  idea,  and 
certainly  encouraging  for  the  artists  of  this  nation,  but  it  is  a  pity 
that  it  causes  the  destruction  of  this  elegant  palace.  The  British 
institution  is  a  building  which  consists  of  three  large  halls,  and 
which  receive  their  light  from  above.  The  collection  mostly 
contained  paintings  of  Flemish  artists,  some  English,  and  a  few 
Italian  and  French.  There  were  seven  pieces  by  Rubens,  amongst 
which  I  particularly  noticed  his  own  likeness  and  that  of  his  first 
wife,  finished  in  the  same  manner  as  those  in  the  collection  of 
Mr.  Schamp  at  Ghent,  and  at  Warwick  Castle;  besides  these,  a 
landscape  with  figures,  representing  the  history  of  St.  George, 
with  the  portraits  of  Queen  Henrietta  Maria  and  Charles  I. 
for  whom  it  was  done.  Seven  paintings  by  Vandyk,  among 
which  the  portraits  of  Charles  I.  in  three  views,  which  his 
lady  had  sent  to  the  statuary  Bernini  at  Rome,  to  finish  the 
bust  of  the  king  therefrom.  A  sketch,  studies  of  horses  and 
horsemen,  of  remarkable  value,  and  a  full-size  portrait  of  Gas- 
ton  de  France,  and  two  portraits  of  Queen  Henrietta  Maria, 
which,  like  that  of  her  unfortunate  husband,  I  might  call  una 
voidable,  because  it  is  to  be  found  almost  in  every  collection 
of  paintings  in  England.  I  found  seven  pieces  by  Rembrandt, 
among  which  were  several  excellent  portraits,  and  his  own;  they 
were  all  easily  distinguished  by  his  particular  colouring.  Four 
teen  paintings  by  Teniers,  collections  of  people;  small  portraits; 
a  view  of  the  towns  of  Holland,  and  a  couple  of  landscapes,  one 
of  which  represents  likewise,  the  artist,  his  wife,  and  his  gardener; 
a  real  ornament  to  this  collection.  One  of  these  pieces,  repre 
senting  a  village  festival,  had  been  on  the  artist's  harpsichord.  I 
admired  two  other  pieces,  in  the  same  style,  by  J.  Ostade,  and 
seven  by  A.  Ostade;  six  by  Jan  Steen.  One  of  the  latter,  very 
excellently  finished,  represented  an  elderly  man,  just  rising  from 
bed,  who  is  listening  to  the  reproaches  of  a  young  girl,  for  his 
niggardliness;  she  holds  forth  to  him  a  trifle  of  money,  and  an  old 


238 

ceding  generations.     1  found  this  observation  perfectly  true,  by 
my  own  feelings  on  returning  from  America,  which  exhibits  none 
but  new  objects,  and  has  nothing  but  a  bustling  present  strug 
gling  for  future  improvement. 
On  the  28th  of  July,  at  four  o'clock,  P.  M.,  I  arrived  at  Ghent. 


THE    END. 


JW  V  V  IJ 


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